This Isn't Genetic Emancipation
by FallingMirrors
Summary: "Paviche had his own motives and he knew exactly how to carry them out. And that was precisely what he was doing; hunting out the precious little jewel that his siblings sought to merely cast off like a pest." Pavi/Shilo, post opera. Shilo is left to come to terms with her father's death and try to survive the wrath of the bitter Largo siblings, all under Pavi's hungry gaze.
1. In which Shilo needs a bath

**AN: Hello, there! This is the first fanfiction I have written for Repo, which is pretty exciting seeing as it's currently my favourite film. This idea has been bugging me for ages now and I just felt the need to get it down somewhere so that it would leave me alone and I could get back to studying for my exams. I'm just hoping that the characterisation is ok! I think this will be primarily a Pavi/Shilo fanfiction (OTP haha.) I'm not really sure why I find this pairing so fascinating and frankly unsettling, but I really do. This is not going to be a happy chappy lovey dovey fanfiction. It's just not. No point in pretending it is. It's Pavi. I'm not exactly sure how long this will run on for (this chapter was my main idea but I'm sure I'll come up with more) so I suppose we'll just have to see. Taking this into consideration, it's being rated M for likely later content. I have read over this, but I'm not so good at looking for typos/mistakes. So please excuse any you may see. All of that being said, enjoy!**

**Warnings: No sexual content in this chapter, a little blood and just... Pavi being his creepy self, I guess. Shilo in a bath, if that counts. Idek.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Repo! The Genetic Opera in any way. **

_::This isn't Genetic Emancipation ::_

Pavi Largo was not a foolish man. Contrary to what the public tended to believe about the generally rather relaxed Italian playboy, Paviche had his own motives and he knew exactly how to carry them out. And that was precisely what he was doing; hunting out the precious little jewel that his siblings sought to merely cast off like a pest. Pavi could see potential in things that others often could not – perhaps it was a talent which came from being such a connoisseur of beauty. And Shilo Wallace was not something to be simply wiped out. If she could not offer him some 'entertainment,' then she could at least give him her pretty face. And, knowing his ruthless older brother, if the GENcops got to her there would be nothing left of that pretty face to preserve; a most unfortunate result.

Now, he had to go about this carefully. The young girl would most likely be terrified, shaken after the brutal deaths of both her father and godmother, soaked in the blood of both of them. She would want a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, perhaps. And Pavi would be the one to offer her comfort... for now, at least. Slow and steady wins the race, he reminded himself. Though, unfortunately, Paviche Largo was not the most patient of men. Scarred lips twitched into a small smirk underneath the dead skin of the mask which was currently clamped onto his own. He only hoped that he had been right in his assumptions that the young Wallace girl would run back home. He really did not feel like having the limousine in which he was currently sitting trawl all over the city looking for her. Surely the little lamb would be too afraid to wander the streets... however, people had been known to do stranger things when grieving. Nathan Wallace himself was testament to that.

Luckily, when the car finally rolled to a shuddering halt outside the Wallace residence, Pavi could quite clearly see that the gate was open. Had the girl forgotten to close it? Perhaps she simply didn't know how. It was not as though she had needed to use it over the past seventeen years, of course.

Stepping out of the car, Pavi made his way up the drive curiously, fine Italian leather boots crunching rather satisfactorily on the small stones. Through the wrought iron gate and up over stone steps before finally coming to the front door, which was closed. He could, however, make out a small, bleary dark shape on the other side of the glass, though it appeared to be quite far away. He guessed that this was Shilo. Trying his luck, he pulled down on the handle and, as luck would have it, the girl had been foolish enough to leave the door unlocked. It protested with a low creak as he swung it open and he was treated to the sight of the petite girl huddled on the staircase, her pale arms polluted with the blood of those who had died. Her previously smooth black hair was matted with the same red substance, which had congealed to form unsightly clumps. She cringed as he stepped through the door and looked as though she were about to skirt back away from him, however, the stairs behind her prevented her from doing so. Huddled close to the banister, doe eyes stared up at him as he came forward, the soles of his shoes clicking against the floor with each step he took, and blinked back tears, looking for all the world as though she expect him to pull out a knife at any moment.

Giving a slight tilt of his head, the lips of his mask pulled into a sort of smirk as he stared down at her, his gaze hungry. Luckily, he had just enough time before leaving Sanitarium to have a few of the GENterns fix in place his newest and greatest face, that of a pleasant young opera attendee. After all, he had to look his best if he was going to see such a lovely girl. His heart beat just a little faster as his memory flickered back for an instant to his sister's fallen face. Though he not acquired it yet, he was certain that it would not be too long until he did and, oh, Pavi could not wait until it was his to add to his little collection. But no, his thoughts were wandering. Now was the time for focus.

"Ciao, bella," he hummed. "The Pavi had-a hoped he would-a find you here. And-a before the GENcops! Molto bene." Her eyes widened in the most delightfully frightened manner and she leaned back further away from him as he came to a stop right in front of her, leaning one forearm on the banister and peering down at her in interest. She trembled like the most delicate leaf, shaking her head in horror at the mention of the GENcops. "Ah, no, cara mia, not to worry. If-a you listen to the Pavi, you will-a come to no harm, si?" Tucking his fingertips beneath her sharply pointed little chin, he tilted her head back to meet his hungry gaze, at which she let out a muted whimper and tugged her chin from his grasp, taking him by surprise. He had rather expected her to be grateful for his help.

"Please don't touch me."

The whisper was so weak that he barely heard, but he did and for a moment he was at a loss. He had expected her to be upset, of course, but not quite this distraught. Pavi, of course, did not remember what it was like to lose everything that one's very existence rested upon. He too had lost his father that night, however, he had done his grieving – brief though it may have been. The paternal bonds between Rotti and any of his degenerate children were so weakened over the years of their being steeped in sin that any form of relationship was practically irredeemable. Pavi had accepted that, though he seemed to be experiencing a little difficulty understanding the frightened, broken little girl in front of him. He had lost his face, however, and that had been everything. That had been his existence. And without it, he was sent spiralling into a kind of madness. Paviche Largo was not a 'well' man.

"Listen to-a me, Shilo," he began eventually with a withering sort of sigh, "Either you-a do what I say and-a live, or-a you refuse my help and-a die." He offered a hand to her. "Which will it be, cara?"

Shilo glanced from his hand to his stolen face and back again, something almost calculating in her deep brown eyes. However, hesitantly, she slipped her trembling hand into his and allowed him to help her into a standing position, though her frame was still notably shaky. _Clever girl. _A smile somewhat curved the lips of the mask. Usually, he would be tempted to slip his arm around her waist, but she was of course still covered in blood and his clothes were new and dreadfully expensive. So for now, he contented himself with holding onto the slender hand.

"Now, bella, I think that-a first we should-a get you cleaned up, hm?" he suggested and had he not been wearing someone else's face, perhaps Shilo could have labelled him as kind. She gave a small nod, nonetheless. "You will-a have to show-a me to a bathroom in that case." That phrase alone should have set off the alarm bells in Shilo's mind, however, she was too tired and too afraid to question it so she merely led him upstairs silently.

At first she was unsure which bathroom to use, but eventually settled on the small en suite connected to her bedroom. It was the bathroom she was the most familiar with, after all. Perhaps it would be more comfortable for her. She tried to ignore how he peered at her belongings as she led him through her bedroom – those were her private things. Pavi Largo had no right to look at them. Upon reaching her destination, she slipped her hand out of his so that she could step forward to turn on the taps, before looking at him rather pointedly. Apparently, he did not get the hint.

"Aren't..." Her throat was dry. She cleared it, dampened her lips slightly in a nervous little gesture and tried again. "Aren't you going to wait outside?"

"Ah, but bella," a small smirk, "You are-a terribly tired, no? And-a whatever would-a happen if you were-a to fall asleep in the bath, hm? Besides, you are-a covered," he animated this by running a strand of soiled hair between two pale fingertips. "You will-a need help to clean this off."

The thought of him seeing her naked sent a violent shudder through Shilo. After all, she was a very private person and her life was generally a very private affair. No-one had seen her naked, not since her dad had bathed her when she was very small. And, of course, things would have... changed since then. But she knew that without his help, she was as good as dead. Still...

"At least turn around," she implored him, a hint of desperation entering her tone. And with the way her large eyes stared at him, still brimming with unshed tears, Pavi obediently turned, though not without giving a slight raise of his brow before doing so.

With his back to her, she fumbled with her clothes, aiming for speed which her trembling fingers did not allow. The boots went first and they were difficult, but in the end she tore them off, followed by her knee high socks. Then came the small electronic wrist band and the bloodied net sleeves. She hesitated before removing her wig, but decided that it would likely come off in the water anyway. That joined the growing pile. And at last, her heart squeezing uncomfortably with nerves, she fiddled with the zip of the small black dress, the stained material sliding from her pale body and fluttering to the floor. Without giving him the chance to turn around, she slipped quickly into the bath, which was now thankfully full enough to cover any private areas that that she would rather he didn't see. Even so, she drew her knees up to her chest... just in case.

When he heard the water, he turned around and immediately set his eyes roaming deviously over the smooth skin that was unveiled. It was only after a moment that he noticed the girl's hairlessness, however, it did not bother him. After all, it did not deduct from her beauty. Besides, side effects of the poison in her system were to be expected. Removing his coat and rolling up the sleeves of the shirt underneath (he couldn't have them getting wet, after all, he thought with a smirk) he sank to his knees beside the relatively large tub and she stared at him as though he were a dangerous animal. He delighted at the way the now very slightly pink water lapped at the milky skin of her thigh. Usually, the thought of Pavi Largo doing something like this was quite ludicrous. Pavi Largo did not help other people. However, he was not adverse to the idea of allowing his hands to wander over the body of a pretty young girl.

A small bar of soap and sponge sat on the edge of the bath. They would prove to be very useful. Running the soap over her dirtied shoulder blades he immediately began to gently sponge the blood from the pale back unveiled to him, noticing how Shilo stiffened beneath his touch, before resting her cheek against her drawn up knees. It would appear that she was in no condition to be putting up a fight of any kind. That was good.

"Now-a, bella, it would-a seem that you may have-a... hit mia sorella where it-a hurts, si?"

"I didn't-"

He cut her off with a smile. "Si, bella, I know. It was-a not your fault. But Amber..." he paused her a moment, shaking his head slightly and continuing to sponge the water over her back and shoulders. "She does-a not see it that way. She was-a always a daddy's girl and-a you can imagine how it-a stung when Papa wanted to use you as a... replacement. And-a Luigi is-a more concerned that you will-a try to take-a Geneco."

Shilo was silent for a moment, before she finally constructed her thoughts into a sentence. "I don't want it. I never wanted it. I don't know why... why..." Her throat constricted uncomfortably and she tried hard to swallow the lump that had been gradually building up and then the bitter tears were falling because she _didn't _know why; didn't know why Rotti had chosen her to unload his burden onto, why daddy had to die, and even Mag, the woman she had watched and admired since childhood. All of them were dead, gone, never coming back and now she was all on her own. She noted briefly that Pavi had now moved onto her arms. The water was becoming steadily more red.

"Si, tesora, I know. It would-a be a shame for-a such a pretty face to go to-a waste," he added, somewhat mournfully and a shiver ran down her spine. "Which is-a why I came-a looking for you. Mia fratelli would-a be quick to waste your potential." She didn't know what he meant by that. What could she possibly have to offer him? She decided that perhaps she didn't want to know.

After a quick scrubbing of her bloodied knees, Paviche lifted a large towel from a nearby rack, handing it over to her. She hesitated for a moment, before spreading it out to form a screen, standing and winding it around herself. He held out a hand to her and she froze for a moment, staring at the offered hand as though it were poisonous.

"I only want-a to help you out of the bath, bella," he assured her, the eyebrow of the mask quirking very slightly. "You are-a still a little unsteady, si?"

She had to admit that when she glanced down at the wine red of the water, her head did spin a little. Not to mention that she had been denied her 'medication' for so long now. Eventually she did take hold of his hand, holding her towel up with the other, and allowed him to help her lift her legs over the sides and back into the bedroom.

"You may-a dry yourself and-a change. But-a you may need to pack some spare clothes." She frowned – he was taking her away for that long? This did not seem to bother him. "I will-a wait outside."

When he was gone and she was finally alone, Shilo sat down somewhat shakily on her bed, the towel still wrapped around her. So much had happened in this one night, too much to take in. And now Pavi Largo was here just... expecting her to trust him? She remembered how he too had taunted her father at the opera, his falsetto voice trilling in its sing-song manner in her ear. _"Did you know he killed your mother?" _How he had cackled at her look of horror, arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. But it was either him or the GENcops and, for now at least, he did not seem to want her dead. With that in mind, she slowly set about drying herself, running the towel down milky legs.

She did not know what to wear. Did it really matter? No, she supposed not. She settled on a simple, black baby doll style dress, pulling on a pair of thigh high socks and boots with it. She had forgotten to remove her mother's necklace before getting in the bath and it still hung, its heavy weight comforting, around her neck. Fortunately, she had more than one wig. _"Just in case," _her father had said. She was glad that he had been such a cautious man now. She was unsure why, but she did not like Pavi seeing her without hair. It made her feel somewhat vulnerable; deeply uncomfortable.

Her messenger bag was fairly big – it would do for the essentials. She tossed in whatever she could find numbly. A few shirts, a skirt or perhaps two, a dress and – oh yes, of course! She would need underwear. And her nightdress, of course. Toothbrush, hairbrush... how long would she be away for? Suddenly, her eyes caught on the photographs lined up along her shelves. Her and her father, one or two smaller ones of her mother. She removed these from their frames, stuffing them away with her clothes. Daddy... He had poisoned her. He had lied to her. He had locked her away. She shouldn't love him, but she did. He was her father. He had protected her, kept her safe. He was the only person who had ever said "I love you, Shi." The bitter part of her argued that it was because he was the only person who knew of her existence, but she pushed that away quickly. He was dead now. He couldn't hurt her, unintentionally or otherwise, anymore.

She was somewhat lost in her thoughts, until she heard a commotion on the driveway and flitted over to the window, peering out carefully. It appeared that Pavi had not been wrong when he had said that the GENcops were coming for her. The sight of them making their way up to the front door sent a thrill of terror through her. There were _so many _of them.

"Bella," a sharp rap at the door. "I will-a have to-a hurry you a little."

Tearing her gaze away from the window, she hurried to open the door where Pavi Largo was standing looking a little impatient. "Now, cara, you will-a have to-a trust me, si? If-a you come quietly, you will-a come to no harm. Amber does-a not want you executed on-a sight. I believe she would-a rather do that herself. I will-a bring you back to the Towers and-a we will have a discussion with mia fratelli." Shilo stared at him incredulously. He was bringing her to _them? _All this was for nothing. She was going to die anyway. Worse – she was going to die at the hands of the Largos, who would undoubtedly make her death as painful as possible. But hey, maybe Pavi would get a new face out of all of this.

She pulled back from him, somewhere between disgusted and terrified. "I... I can't, I'm not going. I don't want to." He frowned. She could see that much, even taking the mask into consideration.

"_Trust _me, bella. I will-a make my brother and sister see sense. But, if-a you make a fuss, the GENcops will not-a hesitate in-a harming that pretty face. Now _come with-a me, bella._" At the low threat in his voice and the sudden coldness in his eyes, Shilo was a little startled. However, she stepped through the door, bag still clutched close to her, resigned to the fact that he would not take 'no' for an answer. He smirked. "Good-a girl."

Quite suddenly, Shilo found herself pressed up against the playboy's side as he guided her firmly down the stairs, as though worried she would slip away and make a break for freedom. It appeared that the GENcops were trying to break down the door... the door which was already unlocked. When they succeeded in doing so, Pavi held up a hand for calm. "Not-a to worry," he announced rather cheerfully, "She is-a coming quietly. I will-a bring her to-a my brother and sister."

The GENcops seemed rather confused for a moment – as though they did not know whether they should let Pavi do as he pleased, or take Shilo by force. Eventually, Pavi spoke with a rather harsh, "You may-a leave now." And they did obey, filing out, though it appeared that they meant to escort them back to Largo Towers, which did not overly bother Pavi – he had gotten his way, after all. He hurried a silent, apparently rather frightened Shilo through the door and down to the limousine which was waiting for him, giving her a little push and urging her inside. Once settled on the plush leather lining of the seat, she was tugged unceremoniously underneath the arm of the middle Largo child, help securely to his side. Were she not almost certain he was the key to her survival, perhaps she would have complained.

Thankfully, Pavi was silent for the duration of the journey, the only noise the car engine and the speakers and sirens of the following GENcops. Shilo was thankful for this. She wasn't sure if she could handle anymore talking from him. That dreadful falsetto voice imploring her to _trust _him, mockingly complimenting her pretty face. But, whether she liked it or not, she needed him onside.

When they finally reached Largo Towers, her stiff little frame still pulled close to the warmth of his side, he gave her a gaudy grin. "Come along, bella." And, oh, Shilo wished that she had not returned home after the fateful opera.


	2. In which Pavi is a sneaky bastard

**AN: I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying this! It has to be said, that I'm enjoying writing it very much and will get new chapter out as soon as I can. Thank you for all the kind reviews, and I hope that you like this chapter. It's a little bland, a little awkward perhaps, as Shilo is just trying to get settled and get to grips with what's actually going on. Pavi will be pulling the moves soon, I am just building up to it haha.**

**Warnings: Language. That's about it, I think. **

Shilo had only seen the home of the Largos from a distance in her short life. The Geneco Tower stood imposingly amongst the other buildings of the deteriorating city, looking in an almost condescending manner above other business, offices, apartment blocks and hospital units, of course. The top of the tower were among the blips that drifted idly through the constantly dismal sky and the large TV screens that chattered endlessly, announcing discounted surgeries, special offers, interviews... But now here she was, being pulled firmly from one of the Largo private limousines by the notorious rapist, Pavi Largo himself. He ushered her along to the large front doors of the establishment, sending the receptionist a sly wink on the way.

Pavi seemed to know precisely where he was going, though Shilo was as of yet completely oblivious. He directed her over to the sleek metal elevators, tugging her inside and it wasn't until Shilo was in the confines of the four walls that Shilo finally willed herself to speak up. "Where... Where exactly are we going?" She was suddenly horribly aware of Pavi's hand resting on her waist, stroking the subtle curve of her hip. He chuckled, pressed so close to her that she felt it shake his torso, that she shook too just a little bit.

"To-a Papa's office of course, bella-" he cut himself off quite suddenly. "That is to say, my sister's office now."

Shilo's gaze flickered up to regard him for a moment, though she didn't look back at her. His gaze remained fixed on the shining elevator doors. She couldn't help but wonder for a moment if Pavi resented his sister's gain of the company. Everyone knew, of course, of the notorious rows which had flared between Pavi and his older brother, how both insisted in determination that Geneco would be _theirs. _She would have liked to see behind the mask for a moment, to determine if there was a tenseness to his jaw or a furrow to his brow. However, the mask served its purpose well and covered much of his facial expression. She hadn't noticed that she was staring at him, lost in thought, until he did glance down at her and the lips of the gruesome mask lifted into a smirk. Her gaze snapped away immediately, focusing on the doors until the elevator came to a halt and the doors that she had been so seemingly fascinated in slid open.

As the doors opened, Shilo was suddenly aware that the elevator had brought them directly to Amber Sweet's office and her stomach twisted into knots. Trying to swallow back her nerves – why did she suddenly feel like crying? – Shilo found herself rather rooted to the spot and stood, wide eyed, staring numbly into the office. Pavi cleared his throat, pulling her firmly along into the office, where Amber sat languidly behind her late father's desk. The new CEO of Geneco appeared to be taking the business rather seriously – as far as her outfit was concerned, at least. She was wearing a tightly fitting pinstriped suit, complimented by currently platinum blonde hair and bright, baby blue eyes. Shilo expected that this appearance would be altered within two days, at the very most. In stark contrast to his sister's sprawling in her chair, Luigi Largo sat tensely in his, a scowl lining his face as per usual as he flicked a switchblade between his fingers and thumb, the sharp metal making a harsh scrape every time it was flipped up or down. _Shunk. Shunk. Shunk. _Shilo did not much like the look of that switchblade.

Amber raised a brow when she was met by the sight of her older brother guiding in the faintly trembling, bug-eyed young girl. It seemed her shithead of a brother had saved the GENcops a job. She sighed deeply, dropping the pen that she had previously been gripping in her slender, manicured hand. Shilo jumped as the pen hit the desk, the small noise so much louder to her – almost as loud as the constant thrum of her pulse. Amber Sweet's nails raked across the desk lazily, and Shilo was reminded of a cat stretching. She used the watch the decrepit alley cats who would crawl through the street outside her window, yowling noisily for no good reason...

"What the fuck are you doing, Pavi?" Amber's voice was neither eager, nor irritated. It was dull, apathetic, as though she really couldn't care what sort of people her brother brought traipsing into her office.

"What the fuck do you think he's doing?" Luigi countered icily, sending a glare towards his younger brother and company. "It's obvious. He wants the little bitch's face and he thought that if he brought her here for you and asked nicely, you would let him keep it." Again, Amber Sweet's perfect eyebrow rose. Shilo wondered if it would get stuck like that. Amber had undergone so much surgery after all, perhaps after a while it merely made your face like clay and...

She was pulled from her musings by Pavi's ringing laughter. "Mi dispiace, fratello, but you are-a rather off the mark. Once again. So much for-a being the _smartest_, hm?" Luigi clutched the switchblade so tightly that Shilo heard the leather of his gloves creak. Amber raised a hand to halt him – most likely didn't want to get blood on the carpet. "Sit, bella," Pavi bade her, seemingly nonchalant towards his brother's near outburst. But then, he must be used to it after so many years. One hand on her upper arm, he guided her to a free armchair where she fell back a little weakly, glad to take the weight off her trembling legs.

"You better get your fucking ass off that seat right now," Luigi growled lowly at her and she skirted away from him a little, even though he was on the other side of the room. Pavi's hand settled on her shoulder, steadying her. He seemed about to protest at his older brother's choice of words, but Amber beat him to it.

"Shut up, Luigi." Her voice was a sort of whine, dragging out her brother's name childishly. _Luiiiigiiiiii._ It was effective, however, at the eldest Largo settled back in his seat, though still scowling. Geneco's CEO turned her attention to Pavi. "Well?" she pressed in expectation.

"Ah, you see, sorella," Pavi began in a high croon, "It-a came to-a my attention that-a you planned to-a send the GENcops after mi amatissimo, si?" He paused to gesture to Shilo, still sitting gripping the armrests of her seat in fear, with one pale hand. He pressed his fingertips together, forming a steeple, raising his hands to his lower lip in thought and began pacing back and forth in front of Amber's desk, as though revealing some great prophecy. "But-a then I thought to-a myself what a terrible _waste _it would-a be. And, after all, the bella has-a done nothing to harm _you_, sister."

"Like hell she hasn't!" Shilo cringed as Luigi stood, switchblade clutched firmly in his hand. He stalked over to where she sat in a few large strides and Shilo found herself with the blade of his knife pressed flush against her throat. She let out a barely audible whimper, squeezing her eyes closed and bracing herself for the worst. Oh God, Oh God, no, she was going to die here in this damnable office, left to bleed out on the pretty, expensive carpet after Luigi sank his knife into her throat. Would it hurt terribly? Would it be slow? Would she feel it as the life left her body? Would she feel the blood run down her front? She vaguely heard Pavi's disapproving cry of, "_Fratello_!" before Luigi spoke again, this time growling lowly into her ear.

"Little whore thought she could take Geneco from us, huh?" The cold blade pressed insistently into the tender flesh.

"No-!" Shilo's voice was surprisingly breathy as her mind dissolved into panic. _Just talk, Shilo, say anything. _"No, I don't want it, I never wanted it, I swear, I never wanted it."

"Enough, Luigi." Shilo had never before been so glad to hear Amber Sweet's voice. She had a feeling she would never be so glad again, either. The blade was reluctantly removed, however, and her eyes opened once again just in time to see Luigi skulking off to the side of the room. She exhaled shakily.

"You-a see, sister?" Pavi veritably purred, "She-a had nothing to-a do with Papa's will. All this is a misunderstanding."

Amber was silent for a moment, regarding Shilo with calculating eyes, before she gave a deep sigh. "It isn't as though she has anywhere to live anyway," she informed them with a slight whine. At first, Shilo was merely surprised that Amber seemed put out that she had missed an opportunity to kill her, before she took note of what the older woman was actually saying. Honest brown eyes widened and she could not hold back a soft, disbelieving, "_What_?"

Amber raised a brow, once again, as she turned her attention to the young girl. "You don't have a job. You don't have any money. Your daddy's money belongs to Geneco now that he's dead," she gave a smirk, "So does your house. Looks like the repo man didn't have the foresight to write a will. Guess he didn't think he'd be dying any time soon." Shilo repressed her anger. She couldn't let herself say anything stupid, after all, she had just been informed that she was technically homeless. "You have nothing," Amber concluded, as though to kick her while she was down.

"Precisely why I-a was going to-a suggest that she-a stays here," Pavi retorted rather casually. Shilo's eyes widened – oh no. Oh God no this had never been part of the plan. Pavi had said that she wouldn't come to any harm, not that he was bringing her to live with his insufferable sister and murderous brother, not that he was much better. Also a murderer, not to mention a rapist. Amber looked ready to screech back a protest, but Luigi got there first. His shout of "WHAT?" could have been rather comical, had it not been for the situation.

"You want her for some kind of fuck toy, right?" Luigi demanded, glaring at his younger brother and Shilo sank down a little in the armchair she was perched in, praying for the ground to open and swallow her so that she could escape this Hell. Pavi gave a light chuckle, but didn't comment and Shilo's stomach flipped. She had no idea what the eldest Largo meant, but she knew for certain that she did not like the idea of being someone's toy in any way. _Especially_ not Pavi Largo's.

Amber rolled her eyes. "There's no way I'm letting her skip around here like she owns the place."

"Not-a to worry, sorella, she will-a not cause any inconvenience. I will-a make sure of-a that." He turned his gaze towards Shilo and gave her a smirk that made her shudder. "I-a very much doubt you will-a even see her very often. Perhaps she can-a even be... beneficial to you."

"Beneficial? In what way?" Oh, Amber was interested now. Shilo could see it as clear as day by the way her eyes sharpened.

"Well," Pavi hummed, leaning over his sister's desk to make eye contact with her. "Everyone is-a talking about last night's opera, si?" Last night? What time did that make now? Shilo had no idea how long she had huddled at the bottom of her staircase, too afraid and lost to move. And between then and now would have been even longer... there was not even a clock in the office and she was too terrified to check her wristband. Pavi continued. "They all-a want to know what-a happened to-a the sweet little girl who-a cried on stage. She has-a become quite popular," he added thoughtfully, "In-a just one night, even. The public seem to-a think she is... innocent. Pure, if-a you will," he gave a slightly harsh giggle. "They all-a want to know what-a happened to her. And imagine the press once they-a get word of how-a we took her in. Think of-a the company's image," Pavi concluded his little speech.

Amber leaned back in her seat, considering, before she spoke. "You're not as stupid as you look, Pavi." Her older brother's eyes narrowed, but he didn't comment. It seemed that the cat was in the bag, after all. "Fine. But if she fucks anything up, it'll be your neck on the line."

"Of-a course, sister," Paviche grinned, already backing away from the desk and taking Shilo's hand, tugging her up towards him and holding her close to his side, the pretty little prize that he had just won. As he pulled her towards the elevator and the doors slid closed, Shilo heard one final _shunk, _this one louder and more defined. The sound of a blade driven into wood.

"I think that-a that went rather well," Pavi spoke up eventually.

"I hadn't... I hadn't expected you to have me stay here," Shilo admitted softly.

"And-a where else would you have stayed, bella?" When she didn't respond, he went on. "You may-a stay in-a my rooms." Again, she remained silent and only gave a slight flinch to show that she had heard him. "A 'thank you' would-a not go amiss, tesora," he added with a sigh.

"I... thank you. I'm sorry," she added in a murmur. She knew that she was being ungrateful. Better to be stuck in this mad house than be dead, right? But she was exhausted and not long ago she had been in a bath to rid her of the blood of the only family she had left and now daddy was dead and she had no-one left to run to and... Suddenly she was very aware of moisture on her cheeks. When had she started crying? She wasn't sure, but the ache that clutched her heart was tightening and her throat felt dry and her shoulders trembled lightly as she sobbed softly, pressing a hand to her mouth in an attempt to muffle any noise. Of course, it was too late and Pavi had noticed.

Paviche gave a slight sigh, pulling the small girl closer to his side and offering her a handkerchief which he procured from the inside pocket of his jacket. This had been part of the plan, of course, to be a shoulder to cry on, but Pavi was unused to comforting crying women and so he did what he could. "There, there. Hush, bella. You're-a tired. You need to-a sleep." He dabbed at the tears which fell sluggishly down her cheeks and she gave a small nod in agreement.

When the elevator doors slid open, Shilo realised that they had only travelled a few floors down, not as far as the ground floor where they had started, and were met by a seemingly bland although evidently expensive corridor. Had she been brought here without the knowledge that she was in Geneco Towers, she would have thought that she had just been deposited into a very fine hotel. The corridor was wide; the walls a pleasant champagne and the carpet soft and deep red beneath her feet. The few tables which lined the walls held fresh flowers and there were a couple of alcoves here and there holding large, fully upholstered seats. Of course, this was all old news to Paviche, who ushered her along the hallway, coming to a stop outside one of the doors. He paused for a moment to search for a key in his jacket pocket, before unlocking the door and allowing them both access. "Here are-a my rooms," he informed her, "Where-a you will be staying."

The sitting room in which Shilo was currently standing was lavishly designed; the fire roaring, the sofa and surrounding armchairs Italian leather, the low table in front of them of a fine mahogany. The large television screen which hung above the fireplace put Shilo's own small set to shame. Pavi watched her observe all that the room had to offer with large eyes, before deciding that she had time enough over the coming days to stare at it all she wanted. Placing a guiding arm around her shoulders, he directed her over to a door at the far side of the room. This, he told her, was the bedroom. The room itself was fairly large, holding a King-sized bed and massive armoire, as well as a dressing table. The bathroom was through the door on the opposite end of the room, Pavi informed her, and she was free to use it.

"You may-a change and-a get some sleep," he added with a smile and a light pat to her cheek, before turning and leaving her standing alone in the foreign room. If she was to stay in here, then she wondered briefly where he would sleep. With a small shrug, she let her bag drop to the floor, digging through it to find her nightdress. Her eyes flickering to observe more of her surroundings, she was suddenly aware of a digital clock inserted into one of the walls. The glowing red numbers informed her that it was 3am. Well, no wonder she was so tired. She had never stayed awake for this long before; her father controlled when she slept as well as when she woke. Though if she convinced him that she was feeling particularly tired he could be more lenient in allowing her to sleep. Changing quickly into the flimsy nightdress (she wished that she had something a little longer to sleep in – this did not leave much to the imagination) she approached the bed as though it were a challenge. Someone _else's _bed. With a small sigh and a shake of her head, she lifted back the covers. Ah, there. Nothing scary about that, was there? Just a normal, clean bed. If anything, it looked far more comfortable than hers. She slipped in a little awkwardly, settling herself and staring at the glowing red numbers of the clock until her vision slid and she fell into a fitful sleep.

It seemed that no time at all had passed when she was woken with a sharp pain in her chest. Clutching around the base of her throat, she sat up straight in bed, coughing and choking as her lungs did not seem to be big enough to welcome enough air. Her heart felt uncomfortably tight. Fight through it, Rotti had said. Easier said than done, frankly. She slipped out of bed, staggering to the foot of it where she had carelessly let her bag fall. Digging around through it, which was difficult when she felt so faint and there was little light in the room, she felt her fingers close around the neck of the bottle of pills with a wave of relief. Shaking one out onto her trembling, clammy palm, she pushed it to the back of her throat and swallowed easily. Finally, breathing was a little easier and the pain was gone from her heart. She glanced at the clock. 3:45 and no sign of Pavi, though she realised quite suddenly that she could hear the muted voices from the television in the next room.

The door had been left open just a crack and so very slowly, Shilo made her way over, terrified that the floor would creak beneath her. Leaning close to the crack of light, squinting when the brightness from the television screen hit her pupils, she could make the back of Pavi's head and shoulders, lounging on the sofa in front of the television, whilst the news played.

"_News just in, it would appear that the mysterious girl from last night's opera has been identified as Shilo Wallace. Miss Wallace has not since been seen after her dramatic performance but sources have confirmed that she has been taken in by the Largo family. Geneco's new CEO Amber Sweet has yet to make comment on this turn of events but..." _

Shilo gave a light sigh. She had barely been here for two hours and already the press wanted word of her. Making her way back to bed, she slipped beneath the covers once again and willed herself to sleep.

Patience was difficult. Paviche had known it would be, but now it was especially so as he stood above Shilo's sleeping figure. It would be so easy to take what he wanted now, when she was vulnerable, but that was not the Game Plan. The game would be no fun if he simply gave in to his desires now. He had been doing so well, even allowing her to fall asleep first so as to avoid her feeling awkward. It was all about a false sense of security – give a little, take less. He had given her a little by finding her before the GENcops, taken a little through the bath in which he had allowed his hands to run freely over her body. He had given by seeing she was safe when talking to his siblings, taken by ensuring that she would stay here with him. And this was how it should continue; give a little, take a little until she did not even notice the taking anymore. Slow and steady. And now it was time to take a little more, by sharing the bed with her. He would not touch her, would not even go near her, but it was progress. Slow and steady wins the race, Paviche.

It was still early when Shilo woke next. 7:36, the clock informed her. Too early. Her eyes stung. She rolled over onto her other side and was sure she felt her heart halt for a moment when she came face to face with a sleeping, still masked, Pavi Largo. Skirting back subconsciously, she knew that she would certainly not be able to sleep now. She moved back the covers, leaving the bed carefully so as not to wake him. She stood at the side of the bed for a moment, unsure as to what she should do. She could not wake him, he had enjoyed even less sleep than she so far. She hovered awkwardly, twisting her small hands into the hem of her nightdress, listening to the clock tick. It hadn't been that loud last night, surely. _Tick. Tick. Tick. _She realised that her throat was dry. She was unsure as to whether it was nerves or she was genuinely thirsty, but she made her way into the bathroom nonetheless.

The bathroom did not disappoint. It was as lavishly designed as the rest of the house and _who needs a bath that size? _Glancing at the marble sink, she realised that there was only one glass sitting on the side and wrinkled her nose in distaste. _No way _was she sharing a glass with Pavi Largo, not with those stolen lips. Instead, she turned on the tap, holding her hair back and bent her head to drink from the stream of water, coughing slightly and pulling back, wiping delicately at her mouth with her fingertips. Turning the tap off again, she glanced up at her reflection. She looked awful; pale and gaunt with dark circled beneath large brown eyes. Straightening her wig with a small sigh, she made her way through the bedroom and into the sitting room. She could watch the television while she waited perhaps... There didn't seem to be a remote control. She approached the television and inspected it carefully. Ah, that looked like the _on _button, on the side of the screen near the top. She reached up with one hand and could not reach it. Stretched up onto her toes, still could not reach. Jumped up and down like a woman possessed – no good. Staring at the blank screen dejectedly, she settled back on the sofa where she had seen Pavi sitting the previous night and pulled her knees up to her chest. Time to wait for her "company" to wake up. Fantastic.

**AN: By the way, has anyone had that happen to them before? Waking up before someone else and it's the most awkward thing ever because you don't really know what to do. You think maybe you should wake them but you're not brave enough. It always seems to happen to me. ):**


	3. In which they eat toast

**AN: Hello again! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Yes, it is a little broken up because I just didn't have the patience or the inspiration to describe the silly little things like them getting into cars and such so just use your imagination for those scenes, if you really have to, haha. Pavi's resolve is weakening a bit in this one so he gets a bit pervier (which I have just decided is a word.) The chapter gets a wee bit darker towards the end. I've got a wee bit of foreshadowing going on there. Oh ho ho. Also, the toast scene was a bit strange and random, yes, but it just popped into my head so... well. You'll see what I mean. So feel free to review because I love reading them and if you have any comments or suggestions I would be happy to hear them. **

Shilo Wallace was bored. Bored. Bored to tears. Thirty five minutes had passed since she had woken up; thirty five minutes which had been spent watching the numbers of the clock change. Still tired, but at least slightly more awake than she had been previously. She patrolled slowly around the sitting room, thankful that the carpet was so thick and warm beneath her feet. Inspecting the shelves, she read the titles of some of the books that rested upon them. _Pavi Largo could read? _She felt her lips curve into a smile at the thought, biting down gently on her lower lip to suppress her giggles. She supposed she should give the Italian playboy a little more credit. A couple of photographs lay here and there and Shilo lifted them very gently, holding the corners between two pale fingertips. Paviche Largo had been a handsome man before his face was hopelessly scarred. Still the same lean build, the same glossy black hair, but missing the gruesome addition of the dead woman's face. It was surreal, to see the Largos gathered in the same area without any of the fake smiles for the cameras. It led Shilo to wonder – when had it all gone wrong? When had the competition and the resentment started? With a soft sigh, she replaced the photographs where she had found them, pushed unobtrusively to the back of the shelf.

Her rounds of the room did not take long – apparently Pavi preferred the more simplistic approach when it came to decorating. Still, she repeated her self-guided tour three times. An hour had passed now and she truly had run out of any form of mild entertainment. With another small sigh, she made her way into the bedroom, where Pavi still lay sprawled on his stomach across the bed, knee crooked, with his hands locked beneath his head. Shilo hovered in the doorway. She had never been comfortable when it came to waking people. When her father had fallen asleep on her bed when she was little and he read to her, she would often bend herself to fit on the expanse of bed left over for her rather than disturb his rest.

She shook her head, quickly ridding herself of the memories, making her way slowly over to the bed. Hesitating for a moment, she lifted one knee up, anchoring her weight, before pulling herself fully onto the mattress, next to the bend of his arm. Sitting back on her heels, she folded her hands in her lap. Now, while he was unaware, she could stare openly at the face which was clamped onto his own. She was not entirely sure what she felt when she stared at the so-called mask. An almost over-powering sense of horror, somewhat mingled with morbid curiosity. What pushes a man to steal the faces of others, if only to hide his own deformation? The raw, damaged flesh was just visible around the border of the mask and from what Shilo could see, it was twisted and looked reddened. Cautiously, perhaps more cautiously than she had ever approached anything (which was saying something for someone who pinned butterflies for a hobby) she reached out one delicate fingertip, barely grazing it along the skin that was available to her. When his eyelids fluttered, however, she snatched her hand back quickly.

Paviche's eyes slid open, the cornflower blue focusing hazily on a monochrome blur in front of him, before he was able to make out the long, black hair, the pale skin, the alabaster nightdress, the large brown eyes. Shilo, of course. He had almost forgotten about the previous night's turn of events. He regarded her in curiosity as she skirted back from him, as far as she could without toppling over the edge of the bed. She seemed rather... flustered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

"I..." she tried, "I... woke up early and... you were still asleep, so... so I waited," she finished meekly, by means of an explanation.

He chuckled, turning over onto his back. Shilo realised with a jolt that he wasn't wearing a shirt, the pale, lean chest exposed to her. This was as exposed as she had seen a man in real life. She only hoped that he was wearing something on his bottom half. He stared at her for a moment, making her feel rather uncomfortable, before he reached forward in a sudden, fluid movement, grabbing her skinny wrist in one hand and jerking her forward to meet his gaze properly. She stiffened, wide eyed, and she had never looked so innocent, so deliciously tempting to him. And he was so close. "You should have-a woken me, bella," he purred, voice still a little heavy from sleep. She was silent, dazed, perhaps a little frightened. That hint of fear in her eyes was enough to make him stop, to release her, and she drew her hand back to her chest a little protectively. He merely smiled at her, stroking her upper arm almost companionably; consolingly.

"Get-a dressed, cara. I'm sure you are-a hungry."

She gave a small nod. Yes, she was hungry. She had not really noticed it until he brought it up, but there was a familiar ache in her stomach. She could change in the bedroom, he told her, and could use the bathroom after him. When he stood, she was relieved to see that at least he wore a pair of soft trousers for sleeping comfortably in. She wasn't sure that she liked the idea of sleeping next to him while he was wearing nothing. No, thinking about it, she _knew_ she didn't like that idea.

When left to her own devices, Shilo changed quickly. She was not exactly fond of the thought of him walking back in before she was finished and she fumbled in her haste to pull on the skirt, the little blouse, the usual knee-high socks and boots. He re-entered the room just as she was tying her laces, perched on the edge of the bed, and seemed almost disappointed that he hadn't been fast enough. What Shilo was unaware of was that Pavi too had been racing to change in the hope of offering his assistance in dressing her. Though some things, Pavi noted mentally, are simply best left unsaid. Nonetheless, he gave a rather overly dramatic sweep of his hand to indicate to her that she could use the bathroom and, grabbing her toothbrush, she scurried away.

Shilo was relieved that her "host" did not drag her down to the dining room to eat. Instead, Pavi had asked her what she wanted when she emerged from the bathroom and she had replied with an entirely uncertain, "Uh... I don't mind. Maybe... Maybe toast or something." Toast. It was a simple request. Not difficult, not expensive. It was perfect. Or at least Shilo had thought that it was perfect. Pavi had settled her down in front of the television (turning it on for her when she expressed her earlier difficulty to him) and had left with a cheerful, "I'll be-a right back, bella!" before closing the door behind him. Not long later, he arrived with a GENtern in tow – an unfortunate GENtern who appeared to be laden with trays.

"Over there, cara," Pavi had ordered, gesturing to the small table in front of Shilo and the GENtern had dutifully unloaded the silver trays onto the table, before beaming at Pavi who rewarded her with a pat on her barely covered ass, to which she giggled and skipped outside without so much as a look towards Shilo.

"...What's this?"

"Breakfast, bella!" He stared at her in expectation and so she lifted the cover from the tray closest to her, to find an immense stack of brown bread, laden with several small side dishes of butter, garnishes and a number of spreads. She must have looked hilarious, Shilo thought briefly, the cover still in her hand and her large brown eyes bulging. She threw Pavi an uncertain glance, but he seemed overjoyed if anything. Placing the cover of the tray on the floor next to her, she began uncovering the other trays, of which there were around five. With each uncovered dish, she found more food; types of bread she had not even seen before and a number of jams that she could not identify. She gave a small, helpless shake of her head.

"I won't be able to eat all this." Shilo had never been one to eat much in the first place. She never had much of an appetite and would often nibble at her food.

He shrugged in response. "You-a don't have to, bella. Just eat what-a you want."

Shilo watched him curiously for a moment as though expecting some kind of catch. When none came, however, she simply chose a slice of toast closest to her and began buttering it, perched on the edge of the sofa so that she could reach. Without looking up, she addressed Pavi again. "You eat some too, though. It's a waste otherwise." Although she did not observe his reaction, Shilo could tell that he was a little taken aback by how he hesitated. For some reason, that sent an odd little thrill through her – she had surprised Pavi Largo. Her, of all people, a quiet little girl who had barely left the confines of her room for the past seventeen years. Waste not, want not, that was what dad had always said. And if Pavi was going to twist her words to such an extent, then he could take the consequences as well. Even so, he took a seat beside her and reached for the mounds of food.

xXx

Shilo Wallace was full. Full. Full to bursting point. Plates holding amounts of toast that could quite easily feed the entire island still sat in front of her, but no matter how much she wanted to, she simply couldn't eat any more. Even taking Pavi's contribution into consideration, the waste was colossal. Still, she didn't imagine that she could do anything about it. Sinking back into her seat in defeat, she gave a deep exhale.

"I imagine that-a you have never had a breakfast quite like-a that," Pavi teased with a chuckle, watching her. She fidgeted a little where she sat, his insistent stare making her a little uncomfortable. She was not exactly used to being watched – of course, she was not exactly used to being in the presence of other people in general.

"No. And..." she squirmed a little. The armrest of the sofa suddenly felt confining against her lower back. "And I don't want one like it again."

He raised an eyebrow, leaning in closer to her as though intrigued. "Is that-a so, bella? And why-a not, may I ask?"

"It's... I..." Shilo was now very uncomfortable and attempted to avoid making eye contact. She wasn't _used _to this and Pavi did not seem to be concerned by her discomfort in the slightest. "I mean, I just... want to be normal."

He smirked. "Why be normal when you could-a be better than normal?" She merely stared at him, quite at a loss for words, before he chuckled and gave her a benign pat on the thigh, though she cringed very slightly beneath his hand. His GENterns may have been perfectly content with how he touched them, but Shilo was far from it. "In any case, bella," he continued, seemingly oblivious to how she jolted as he touched her – either oblivious or ignoring the small fact, "I assume that you would-a like to-a collect some of your things from-a your house now that you will-a be staying here, si?"

"S-... I... yes."

He grinned. "Very well, then. I will arrange for a chauffeur to-a collect us."

Shilo very nearly did a double take at 'us.' She had hoped that he would perhaps allow her a little time to say her final goodbye to her old home alone, but apparently Paviche did not have the intuition.

xXx

It seemed that recently Shilo was becoming all too familiar with the tense knot of dread that can form in one's stomach. That horrible, tight feeling that sped up her heartbeat unpleasantly and made her want to squirm. She wanted the feeling to go away but it only seemed to increase as the limousine drew inevitably closer to the house she had once been a prisoner in. She wrapped her arms around her midriff, squeezing a little as though it would ease the dreaded knot, but her attempts were futile. She hated the knot – the same tenseness she had felt when she had been pursued by GENcops in the graveyard, when she had heard the gunshot at the opera, when Pavi Largo had appeared in the doorway of her former home, when he had informed her that he was bringing her to talk to his siblings. And now she was being taken back to face her memories and that terrified her more than anything.

She swallowed hard when the car rolled to a stop, almost not daring to look out the window. However, she knew that this had to be done and so she stepped out onto the gravelled drive when the door was opened for her by the chauffeur, not even waiting for Pavi as she steadily made her way up the front steps, eager for the whole ordeal to be over as quickly as possible. She thought she heard a small, disgruntled scoff from behind her, but this did not hinder her. When she finally reached the front door, she rested one slender hand on the doorframe for a mere moment, stroking unobtrusively with her fingertips and feeling the splintered wood beneath them. With one deep breath, she pulled down on the door handle and the door swung open with the same low groan that it had greeted Pavi with.

All too soon, Shilo was faced with the vast emptiness of her former home, the pressing silence the only greeting given to her. She knew that it was foolish, but she couldn't help imagining somewhat hopefully that her father would come running out of one of the rooms, enfolding her in his arms, perhaps shaking her a little. _Where have you been, Shi? Where have you been? _And then she would not have to collect her things. She would not have to return to the Geneco tower with Pavi Largo. Of course, this did not happen and the parlour remained empty and mute. She wished more than anything that Pavi was not standing expectantly behind her, because then she could perhaps sink to her knees and cry and whimper and not feel ashamed for doing so. If they had all just left her alone then she could stay here, huddled up on the staircase, waiting for her daddy to come home even though she knew better than anyone that he never would.

Her heels tapped, too loudly, on the wooden floor as she began to slowly, a little unsteadily, ascend the staircase leading to the bedrooms. Pavi followed her. The romanticist part of her wished that he would not, so that she could say her goodbyes in peace. The pragmatist part of her was grateful that he did, and that he had seen fit to bring along a couple of Amber's bulky bodyguards for assistance.

Upon reaching her room, she allowed the door to swing open easily with a small push from her hand and gave a small sigh. "Well..." She took one of the boxes from the bodyguard nearest to her and approached the wardrobe, setting the box down so that she could rifle through her clothes.

"Ah," Pavi's small noise of protest interrupted her and he made his way forwards to her with a smirk and a wave of his hand. "I can-a take care of this, bella. Why don't-a you let me do this while-a you pack your other things, hm?" Shilo looked from him to the open wardrobe and back again. If the GENterns were anything to go by, then Pavi's taste in clothing for women was quite obvious. It included as little material as possible and Shilo wasn't sure that she was exactly comfortable with that, especially considering how short some of her skirts now were on her. However, judging by the hand which now rested firmly on her shoulder, he was not going to take 'no' for an answer and so she responded with a slightly reluctant, "All right," to which he grinned, releasing her, and immediately gesturing for one of the bodyguards to come over to him.

In the meantime, Shilo began inspecting her shelves and various other surfaces, before realising that there was not much she wanted to bring with her. She settled a few books in the bottom of one of the boxes, many of them focusing on insects and astronomy, but some of them fairytales and fantasy novels and the like. Even so, this did not take up much space. She glanced over at the teddy bears, some of which she had re-stitched after tearing their insides out in frustration, and cringed. Her father had always showered her with so many toys when, even when she was very young, she had never really been one to play with them. She had much preferred picture books when she was small and had been eager to learn how to read and write. No, she certainly wouldn't be bringing any of the stuffed toys with her. She lifted a few more items – a small bottle of perfume that had been a present from her dad for her fifteenth birthday (she would not be surprised if her mother had used the same brand) and a few items of jewellery that she wanted to keep. As she searched through her drawers, she sent a glance back to Pavi and repressed a shudder to see him inspecting in detail some of her shorter skirts and dresses and looking to her as though picturing them on her body, before throwing them into the box which sat before him. He even went through her underwear, holding the flimsy cloth between his fingers as though deciphering whether or not they were worthy of being packed. She knew it had been a mistake to allow him to pack clothes for her.

At last, she approached the large case which held her collection of insects. She had loved this case; how sturdy the leather binding was, how easily the clear glass drawers pulled out to allow her to store her findings. She ran a hand along the top of it, drumming her nails lightly against the now slightly worn brown leather. Pavi must have heard, for he looked up in curiosity and made his way over to her. "What have-a you got there, bella?"

"My collection," she responded simply, before working on the brass clasps which held the case together and lifting the top so that he could see the carefully set out beetles which made up the top layer. With an over-dramatic noise of disgust, he recoiled from the case. It seemed that Pavi Largo was afraid of insects, she noted, suppressing a smile. It seemed terribly ironic to her that he could find this disgusting when _he _was the one who peeled of the faces of deceased women and clamped them over his own. Surely his little collections was equally as disgusting, if not more so, than hers. "I've collected these for years," she informed him. "It just seems a shame to throw them all away now." He looked from her to the case and back again, much like the way she had turned her gaze between him and her wardrobe. He seemed to be considering and she allowed her hand to remain resting in its place on the surface of the case. Soon enough he resolve gave and he emitted a soft little sigh.

"Very well, tesora." Reluctantly, he lifted one hand and beckoned the body guards over, who lifted the large case and made their way with it back down to the car. Shilo Wallace was delighted. She had won something.

xXx

Pavi's patience was quickly becoming strained. They had not been back at the Geneco towers long, however, Shilo seemed a little brighter than she previously had. She had collected anything else she wanted from her father's old house; photographs, little trinkets, books, and had silently said her final goodbyes, but it seemed a weight of some sort had been lifted from her shoulders. And in happiness, she was even more innocent and delicious to him than she had been when trembling and covered in blood.

Shilo Wallace was beautiful. It was not just her face that gave her this delicate, ethereal beauty, but in everything she was. He observed this as he watched her kneel on the floor not too far away from the sofa where he was presently lounging. She was tending to her case of insects where he had allowed her to keep them in the corner of the sitting room and she was quite a treat for the eyes as she did so. The way her little black skirt would ride up her milky thighs, the way she kept the long, soft black hair brushed over her shoulder as she inspected each compartment, ensuring everything was in place, the way he could see the very tops of her pale shoulder blades moving just above the top of her shirt as she pulled each drawer out, counted, and slid it back into place. He wanted her, all of her, and his patience was wearing thin.

Pushing the book that he had not been reading out of his lap, he quietly made his way over to her, lowering down on his hunkers beside her petite, bird-boned form. When she noticed his presence, her breath hitched in her throat and she jolted slightly. He made to console her with a hand on her upper arm. He leaned in a little closer to her, so close that he could smell the perfume of her skin and it was all he could do to suppress the urge to kiss the supple flesh of her neck and shoulder. However, he steeled himself and decided that he would retain his control. He wanted her lured into the very palm of his hand, after all.

"What are-a these, bella?" he purred in her ear, gesturing with one hand the open compartment in front of them.

"They're... They're butterflies."

He chuckled. "Ah, but surely you-a must know more about them than that. Tell-a me about them, cara." And, in a shaky little voice, Shilo had complied, had explained to him where each one was from, what it was called, why it was special. And Pavi had delighted in hearing the soft tones describe all this for him as he settled himself on the plush carpet next to her. Yes, it would be difficult, but Pavi could keep this up for just a little while longer. Soon, however, she would be his to explore with hands and lips and it sent a little shiver of pleasure down his spine just to imagine what would happen when he did choose to make his move.


	4. In which Shilo really likes champagne

**AN: S'up guys. New chapter. Hope you like it. It's a wee bit longer than the other ones have been. I don't even know. Glad you all seem to be enjoying the shit. This chapter takes place about a month after the last one, but the second section of it sort of takes the form of a flashback, just to clear that up. Shilo is looking back on something that happened not long after she moved into the towers, but hopefully that part is pretty self-explanatory. She's settled in a bit here and is starting to get a bit comfortable... let's hope that comfort won't last. 8D Enjoy and thank you for the reviews, it's great reading them. Keep them rolling in!**

**Warnings: Somewhat disturbing at the beginning. Language on Luigi's part. **

Pavi ran a fingertip around the rim of the wine glass perched on the table next to him, a low chuckle leaving him as he watched the GENtern he had just bedded slowly wake from her drug induced sleep. The large, crystalline blue eyes opened and blinked slowly. First she was groggy, then confused, then scared as she realised that her wrists and ankles had been tied to the posts of the bed in one of the disused guest rooms of the Geneco tower. Pavi delighted to see each emotion flicker across the young woman's face. It had been a month now since he had brought Shilo into her new cage and still he had not gotten what he wanted from her. Of course, Pavi had his needs and so he would often leave Shilo sleeping alone (he rather enjoyed the thought that she would miss his company) and wander off to find a willing GENtern, of which there were many. This one had been merely unfortunate – something about her face had awakened the bloodlust in him. He _wanted _it, the flawless skin and perfect symmetry. And so he had slipped a little something in the wine he had graciously served her to make the poor girl sleep and give him enough time to secure her. She was new to the job and would not be particularly missed by any of the other GENterns under his family's employment.

"Ah, you're finally awake, cara," he crooned, approaching the bed slowly. He reached over to the table which stood beside the bed and lifted the small pocket knife he kept there for such occasions with a dim flash of silver. The young woman who had now begun to whimper and he leaned down to trace the very tip of the blade along her defined jaw line with a low hum. She gave a small sob, attempting to twist away from him though with her wrists bound together and held above her head and each foot bound to a bed post, she of course did not stand a chance. "The Pavi apologises," he purred with mock sincerity, "He is not a patient man. He must-a... get this out of his-a system somehow, si? You are-a not her," he mused softly, more to himself than to the woman, "You are-a not small or-a delicate. You-a did not blush when-a the Pavi touched you. You crawled all over him like a whore, didn't you?" He chuckled, before giving a soft sigh at how her pursed lips trembled in fear. "You know what I-a want from you, bella," he murmured, his husky tone reminiscent of the one he had earlier used when muttering his endearments in her ear. He brushed back her waves of thick blonde hair, almost fumbling in his eagerness. "Let us begin, hm?" With that, he made the first cut into her forehead.

Oh, how beautifully she had screamed.

Not too much longer and he had finished with the young woman, her screams had now ceased. Everything had ceased, because she was dead. He had watched her bleed out across the sheets. In the en suite connected to the guest bedroom, he had cleaned his new face of blood and had scrubbed his hands as well. It had been easy after that to find another GENtern and persuade her to embalm and moisturise the face for him. She seemed reluctant at first to touch it – she was also fairly new, Pavi realised. But with some gentle persuasion she had agreed and Pavi had sent her on her way.

When he returned to his bedroom, Pavi's heart pounded and lust gripped his stomach as he had laid eyes upon the pale little figure curled up amongst his sheets, her collarbones rising and falling with her deep, even breaths. He bent down next to her, running a ringer down the curve of her white cheek and her eyebrows knitted, eyelids fluttering slightly as a small groan escaped her and she attempted to turn her head away from his prying hand. He suppressed a bitter little chuckle. It seemed that even when asleep she was unwilling to let him touch her. Delicate – that was what she was. Entirely delicate. Even her health was unstable after the years of poison in her system and she continued to pollute herself with her father's "medication" purely because if she did not, she could not breathe. She would become weak and faint and a terrible pain would wind its way through her heart like twisting coils of barbed wire. If anything, her delicacy made him want her more.

A small sigh left him and he brushed his lips lightly against her smooth cheek. "Buonanotte, bella."

xXx

Life at Geneco Tower was not so difficult. Shilo had expected it to be hell, but it was not entirely bad. Pavi did not seem to expect payment of any kind in return for ensuring that she was alive, nor did he allow her to spend time in the presence of his siblings. Shilo could not say she was happy but she was... somewhat content, at the very least. She would say that her days were reminiscent of the past seventeen years of her life, had the day not came when he had encouraged her to go outside. It had been a week or so after he had brought her to the tower and it had been unexpected, to say the least.

"_Come-a here, cara mia. There is-a something I would-a like you to do for me." _He had told her that the kitchen's supplies were running low and that usually he would not ask such a thing from her but everyone had been terribly busy lately and it would be a great help if she could run out for a moment and collect some things from the shop that he told her was just around the corner from the tower. It would take only fifteen minutes, he had said, and the press would not bother her if she covered her head and kept her pretty face down – he expected that they would not even recognise her now.

She had been terrified, but she knew that she owed at least this to the man who had, essentially, saved her life. And so she had tied a silk scarf around her head, covering her wig and the sides of her face effectively and had taken the cold, golden coins he pressed into her small hand. It had been difficult to bring herself to step out through the front door. Even through the glass she could see the busy, swarming life of the street outside. However, she had taken a deep breath, mentally steeling herself, and had taken one big step, which had been enough for her little heeled boot to land on the concrete outside. There. Easy.

Pavi had told her to go left, that it was just around the corner and that she couldn't miss it. Sure enough, there it was; a small convenience store. She had entered meekly, head down lest she be recognised and bombarded by questions and cameras. Reaching into the pocket of her coat, she pulled out the small list Pavi had given her just before she left, squinting a little to read it beneath the dull fluorescent lighting. The lights flickered in a way that she thought would give her a headache and the droning hum of the refrigerators was almost unbearable.

She lifted a small basket by the door and had gone on a hunt through the shop. It had taken her longer than it should have, as she was completely unfamiliar with such a place and had little to no idea where anything was. However, she managed and when she reached the end of the list, she saw that Pavi had written a small note to say that there would be enough money for her to buy something to eat as well. She considered this for a moment – something to eat probably meant 'real' food; a sandwich or perhaps a small pot of pasta. Saying that, however, she could have anything she wanted for lunch back at the Geneco tower. So that must mean...

Quite suddenly, she had found herself standing in front of shelves of sweets and chocolates. Her daddy had never allowed her to eat unhealthily – the only exception had been on her birthday, when he had allowed her a small amount of sugar as a treat. Of course, she was not really familiar with any of the kinds of sweets she found herself faced with. She did not know what was good or what she liked, so she had lifted a packet of anything, adding it to the rest of her purchases. She had passed the coins over (thankful that the cashier was an old man who seemed to be having trouble counting her money, never mind recognising who she was) and had hurriedly made her way back to the tower, grateful that the receptionist had taken the shopping bags from her with a large, fake smile and an "I'll take those for you, miss."

She had scurried over to the elevators, hopping in anticipation to taste her prize and had barely stopped to speak to Pavi when she reached his rooms. He had raised an eyebrow in expectation. "Well? How did it-a go?"

Taken by surprise, she had come to a halt. "Oh... it was-... yeah, it was fine." And with a small smile she had rushed on into the bedroom, perched on the mattress cross legged. A small rustle of the packet and the quiet crunch of the hard shells of the sweets against her teeth and then she had given a deep, contented sigh. Outside was definitely good if it meant that she was treated to this afterwards every time she ventured through the front door of the Geneco tower. She had not even bothered to turn and see Pavi standing in the doorframe watching her, half baffled and half amused.

xXx

"I don't give a fuck if she wants to or not."

"Fratello, the bella-"

"I don't give a _fuck _what she said. You tell the little whore to put this on and be ready within the next hour or both of you are fucking dead."

Pavi sighed as his older brother shoved an armful of black material at him, before storming off again down the hallway. He gave a roll of his eyes, turning back around and closing the door behind him. Shilo peeked out from the bedroom where she had been waiting for the intimidating eldest Largo to leave. The masked man glanced over at her, before holding up the black material that had been tossed at him as an explanation.

"No luck, bella. You're-a going whether you want to or-a not."

Shilo groaned. She had been putting off her first appearance to the public since the opera as long as she could and it seemed that Amber would not take 'no' for an answer anymore. She had been promised that Shilo would be beneficial, after all, and now she wanted to reap the rewards for her inconvenience. She left the safety of the bedroom before approaching her 'benefactor,' running a hand over the material in his arms. "What's this?" Although, truth be told, she already knew, really. The battle really was lost. He had warned her of this about an hour ago as she had sat perched on the bed, watching him fix his hair and insert a pair of glinting golden cufflinks into his shirt sleeves. _"I know-a Amber. She is-a stubborn, bella." _And he had been right, though at the time she has crossed her arms and declared that she did not want to go to the charity auction.

"Your dress. Amber insists that you-a wear it tonight."

She sighed, relieving him of the pile of material before turning to make her way into the bathroom.

"Shilo."

After hesitating for a moment, Shilo turned back around to face him with a questioning raise of her eyebrow. She had meant to respond with a "Hm?" in the blasé way that he often would when she wanted to grab his attention, but the small sound had died in her throat. She didn't have the confidence that he did, after all, and the small amount she did have seemed to leave her when she saw the unnerving smirk he was giving her before he stepped forward and gave her a gentle pat on the cheek, much like he had the first night she had stayed with him. "You'll-a be fine, bella. And try not to-a take too long. Luigi is a... little impatient." And then with a chuckle, he had let his hand fall, walking over to the window and lighting a cigarette. A little unsurely, she had retreated to the bathroom to go about getting into the heap of material that was supposedly a dress.

The process of changing into the dress had been generally successful, with the exception of one brief moment of panic when she had thought her arms were stuck. The dress was consisted of a great deal of wispy black and grey material (heaven forbid her heel should catch on the hem or it would be destroyed) and was to be worn with a shawl of a similar material. Shilo was just thankful that Amber Sweet had seen fit to cover her up, considering what the woman herself often wore. It seemed that Geneco's CEO was eager to continue the extended imagery of her "innocence" – that was what had attracted the public to her in the first place after all.

"Ah," Pavi looked her up and down, grinning in appreciation when she emerged from the bathroom. "Molto bella," he commented with a low hum, not drawing his eyes away until Shilo had fidgeted where she stood. His eyes snapped back up to her face and he slipped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. "Now, cara, we should-a get going before-a my brother dispenses of any more of-a the staff."

Only a few minutes later, Shilo had been shoved into the limousine by a less than patient Amber Sweet who did not seem to care if the rather inconvenient skirts of the dress were torn in the process. Luckily, Pavi had been there to break her fall when she stumbled... well, somewhat luckily. Seeing as Amber's bodyguards sat either side of her on the bench opposite them, that left Luigi Largo to sit on Shilo's other side and she sat stiffly between the two brothers. Pavi was perfectly relaxed, arm still locked around her, and allowing his fingertips to trail over her upper arm. However, she could feel the tension practically radiating off Luigi. The car turned a corner, forcing her to slide over slightly, her thigh now resting ever so lightly against Luigi's.

"You'd better get your fucking leg off me."

Shilo had never moved back from someone so quickly in her whole life. Pressing back against a now chuckling Pavi was better than being anywhere near his older brother. "_Relax, _fratello," Pavi crooned. "Are-a you really so uncomfortable being near women?"

"Shut the fuck up, Pavi," Luigi growled by means of a retort and Pavi had cackled in response.

"How does-a the truth feel, brother?"

"I thought I told you to _shut the fuck up." _With that, the eldest Largo quickly pulled a knife from the inside pocket of his jacket, wielding it threateningly and Shilo was fairly certain that jumping out of the moving car would be a safer situation than the one she was currently in. All she could do, however, was lean as far away from the offending blade as physically possible.

"Luigi," Amber drawled, watching the whole exchange in what appeared to be utmost boredom, "I told you not to bring any knives." The oldest Largo brother merely sneered, tucking the knife back in his pocket in resignation. Shilo let out a shaky breath that she didn't even know she had been holding. At this point, she was more concerned about surviving the evening than answering any questions put to her by the press.

When the limousine rolled to steady halt outside the venue where the auction was being held, Shilo was thankful that Luigi quickly slipped out, though not without attaching a gaudy grin to his face. Next had been Amber, accompanied by her bodyguards, and then Pavi had nudged her towards the door. "Go on then, bella." With an uncertain glance back at him, Shilo moved to get out of the car and was immediately blinded by camera flashes. Shouts ran through the crowd at her appearance and with a jolt she realised that not only was she surrounded by a swarm of journalists and photographers, but a large crowd of members of the public had also formed to catch a glimpse of the famed Largo siblings. Her head was swimming and she was vaguely aware of Pavi's hand on her shoulder.

"Shilo, here!"

"Over here, Shilo!"

"Shilo!"

She didn't know which way to look first, the flashes overpowering her senses and the shouting harsh to her delicate ears. It seemed that Amber was giving some sort of little speech about how exciting it was that Shilo Wallace was making her first official public appearance.

"Enjoy it, bella." This was Pavi's voice, of course, murmuring in her ear as he bent down a little to speak to her. "One little wave from-a you will-a send them into a frenzy. Just-a try it." And so Shilo lifted one small hand a little hesitantly, giving a tiny wave. Sure enough, the swarm of journalists had erupted and that made her uneasy smile just a little more confident. Questions were poured into her ears, more than she could focus on.

"As you can all see, Shilo is still getting used to her new lifestyle," Amber chirped, suddenly sweet and smiling for the cameras. "But she'll be happy to give interviews at a later date. Right now, we all just want to enjoy an evening together as a family." Shilo had to fight very hard to keep the smile plastered to her face, as her _supposed_ benefactor threw one thin arm over her shoulder, spouting nonsense about what a happy family they were, and _supposedly_ all too happy to have her join their home.

At first, the paparazzi did not move, but after Luigi bellowed a stern, "Fuck off!" they scattered before any knives could be thrown. Pavi, still with his head held high and a smile for any last minute photographs that could be snapped, kept his arm wrapped firmly around Shilo's waist and guided her into the venue as she had seen him so often do with GENterns when she watched the events attended by the Largos in the safety of her bedroom. To think that she was here with them now, just over a month later. It was both incredible and unnerving.

The venue in which the charity auction was being held appeared to be perhaps a grand hotel of some kind. A large hall had been reserved for the event and it was immediately obvious, particularly to someone like Shilo who had lived a fairly bourgeois but not overly privileged lifestyle , the wealth that had been expended on the building, not to mention the clothes of the people inside. People swarmed in excitement awaiting the start of the event, champagne glasses clutched in surgically altered hands and bright, perfectly straight teeth flashing with conversation and laughter. The chatter of the inhabitants of the room hushed upon the entrance of the Largos and the young girl in their tow and they were immediately greeted with applause. At this, Shilo spared a questioning glance at Pavi, however, he was busy drinking up the attention along with his siblings, bright grins lining each face as they accepted the praise.

The Largos and their little 'guest' made their way further into the hall and immediately, both Amber and Luigi dispersed, leaving her standing alone with Pavi. It seemed that the new CEO of Geneco was busy mingling with those who she was now to meet with occasionally for business, shaking hands here and there and embracing the pretty little plastic wives that clung to the arms of their genetically perfect business husbands. Her brother, on the other hand, was making his way steadily towards the nearest waiter, and immediately began throwing back alcohol. Pavi halted a waiter by raising his hand, relieving him of a glass of champagne which he handed to Shilo with a teasing, "Not too much, bella." Shilo had hesitated for a moment, blinking down at the glass and giving it a light swirl. Daddy had never allowed her to have alcohol, of course. Then again, daddy was not here and daddy would never tell her what to do or what not to do again. With a small sigh at the thought, she took a little sip, choking immediately, her eyes widening. "It's-a good, no, bella?" Pavi had questioned, clearly amused. He directed her to a seat in the front row of the area reserved for the auction which would soon take place, the glass still clutched in her hand.

Shilo was not sure where Pavi had disappeared to after he had gotten her settled, but she heard a rather shrill, feminine giggle from somewhere behind her and turned around to inspect just what was so funny. Nothing, it seemed, apart from the fact that Pavi had collected a group of rather obnoxiously loud women who clung to him like leeches. Leeches... Shilo pondered this. Now there was an insect that she had not collected yet. Another swig of champagne. Soon her glass was empty. She stopped a waiter for more and she realised that she was not even thirsty, just bored. This repeated quite frequently and she felt rather light and giggly by the time the auction began, Pavi taking his seat on one side of her and Amber on the other. Thank God it was not Luigi this time... that reminded her of the car journey here. Perhaps Luigi was not so comfortable around women after all, though he didn't seem too comfortable around anyone... perhaps that was why he stabbed them all. She gave an airy little giggle at that, but no-one paid much attention. She really liked that champagne.

xXx

This night was going rather successfully so far, Pavi decided. He had taken his time to enjoy some female company (it would be good for him to be distracted from Shilo's pretty little face for just a while – waiting was difficult) and somewhere in the middle of the auction, Shilo had taken the initiative to lean against his shoulder. Perhaps she wasn't as opposed to 'getting to know' him a little better than he had first thought. Not to mention that with a little whine of _"fratello" _Luigi had seen to it that he had acquired his sister's face. It helped, of course, when he informed his older brother that the two highest bidders had been poking fun at the eldest Largo behind his back. Things fell together quite nicely after that and the face he had so desired was his, much to Amber's displeasure. She found it "gross" that her older brother would be taking pride in wearing her face over his own. He begged to differ.

When the auction came to its close, he gave the girl at his side a slight nudge and large, drowsy brown eyes blinked up at him.

"Time-a to go, bella."

She gave a light groan, standing... and then staggering, so that he had to catch her before she took an unfortunate tumble. "You're drunk," he accused with a deep sigh. Tonight _would _have been the night that he finally gave into his desires – the girl had grown to be rather comfortable in his presence after all. And what better way to get what he wanted than to "comfort" her after the stress of her first public appearance since the opera? He had even hoped that the attention he had paid to the female attendees would inspire a little spark of jealousy in her... of course, all that was ruined now and it was quite a task to hide his bitterness.

She responded with a slurred, "No," leaning heavily against his chest. _Of course _she wasn't drunk, he countered mentally. He gave a roll of his eyes and tried to tug her after him, but it was to no avail. She would not be moved so easily. So he scooped her into his arms, ignoring the muffled, "hey," of protest and the weak little wrists beating at his chest. She gave up after a moment anyway and when he looked down at her she appeared to have fallen asleep. Silly girl.

The journey back to the tower did not take long. Pavi pulled Shilo across his lap to save Luigi the horror of having a girl's ankle brush his thigh. He scoffed at the thought, gently taking her weight into his arms once again and making his way up to his rooms without so much as a "goodnight" to his siblings – why break the habit of a lifetime, after all?

He lowered her to the bed, removing his own jacket, before relieving her or her shoes and shawl, though when he did so she stirred lightly, blinking at him. He smiled in response... well, perhaps it was closer to a grin. Once again, it would be so easy to take what he had wanted from the first day he laid eyes on her. However, he also wanted her to remember it. Plus the idea that she could get sick in the middle of their activities was not exactly appealing. Though... that did not necessarily mean that he could take nothing. It would be a shame, after all, to waste such an opportunity. While she was too groggy to pull away, he tucked his fingers beneath her chin, pulling it up for better access, before brushing stolen lips against hers, so gently that she perhaps did not even feel it at first, before increasing the pressure a little, slipping his tongue between her lips when they parted. One pale hand ran down her side, before he retained control and pulled away, watching to see her reaction. She giggled slightly, pushing at his shoulder with one frail little hand. Not a moment later, she as asleep again.

If she was as afraid of human contact as she let on, that had been her first kiss. Her very first kiss and she would not even remember it in the morning. That did not bother him, much, as she would certainly remember the next one. And the next and the next and the next.


	5. In which Pavi is cockblocked

**AN: Hi! So this one took a little longer to be published, unfortunately, but I've been pretty busy recently. As I mentioned in the first chapter, I was in the middle of my GCSE exams when I started this fanfiction and I was busy revising for my last couple (Biology and then Chemistry ugh.) Luckily, though, exams are now officially finished yaaaaay! And now I have summer to look forward to. I've been busy ever since I finished, though, because family wanted to celebrate with me and friends wanted to celebrate with me and such and today was actually the first day I've had to relax. Also, I'm going on holiday on Saturday for like a week so there won't be any updates for a period but then I'll be back, hopefully with new ideas. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Things heat up a little bit... for a moment anyway. :L Also, have you noticed my little change to the names of the chapters? I've never done that before. I think I've found a new toy. I would also like to mention that recently I've sort of been using italics as thoughts in certain areas... but hopefully that's quite obvious. And these: xXx represent either the passing of time or a point of view switch. As always, reviews are really appreciated and any requests or suggestions, let me know. **

**Graverotti – After I got your message, I actually checked and aye, you're right, they're green. I've seen loads of people call them all sorts of colours and I'm a lazy person so I just guessed haha. But I've started calling them blue now so I think I'll just continue with blue if I mention it again because it's not really worth changing it now. We'll just pretend. Glad you like it, though!**

**Warnings: Creepy Pavi in this one, brief language and also drug use.**

Shilo never wanted to touch alcohol again. Her head pounded and the bitter taste of bile flooded her mouth. Pavi was nowhere to be seen (not that she could blame him) but luckily she was able to run to the bathroom in time. Groaning, she stumbled back to the bed and lowered herself gently so as not to jolt her aching head. She curled into a foetal position, eyes half lidded, her ears ringing. However, she soon realised that something was on her bedside table that she could not remember leaving there. Or perhaps she did... after all, she could not remember much from last night after the beginning of the auction. Propping herself up gently on one elbow she realised that the objects that had caught her attention were a glass of water and two small, white pills; circular in shape and not too different in appearance from the poison that her father had provided her with. They were resting on top of a small piece of paper, she realised, and she lifted this, doe eyes scanning over the elaborate cursive scrawled over the page.

_I warned you, bella. These are painkillers. I would take both, if I were you, and try to go back to sleep. You will feel better when you wake up. I won't be too long.  
PL_

PL. Paviche Largo. Shilo threaded the note through her fingers, fidgeting with the edges, before setting it beside her on the bed and lifting the pills, watching as they slid down her fingers and came to rest in the centre of her white palm. She was not exactly comfortable with taking medication, considering that any she had taken in the past seemed to hinder rather than help her. Even so_, _the pounding in her head _was _painful. She threw both pills into her mouth at the same time, flushing them down her throat with the water provided, before resting her cheek against the soft cotton of the pillow and staring blankly at the wall opposite her. She had the terrible nagging feeling that she was forgetting something important, that there was something that she should remember from last night. She could only hope that she hadn't embarrassed herself in some way, she thought a little uneasily as her eyes fluttered shut once again. Perhaps Pavi was right and she should try to go back to sleep after all.

xXx

Pavi should not have let Shilo near alcohol – that much was clear now. Only a few glasses of champagne and the girl had been inebriated. And that had provided quite the setback to his plans. However, if she did as he had instructed her to, he was hopeful that she would be somewhat better by the time he returned to her from the meeting he had been attending with his siblings.

It seemed that Amber was eager to get her claws into the petite girl. Shilo had made quite the impression at last night's event after all and his sister was hungry for publicity. Pavi frowned at the thought of it. He was a greedy man and he at least wanted to have Shilo to himself before his sister got the opportunity to drag her away and corrupt her. It was Shilo's innocence that was so appealing to him, after all, and he was unwilling to let Amber soil that, with her head filled with the sorts of ideas that made young girls believe that they weren't good enough, that they needed surgery. Perhaps he should give little Shilo a reminder of just who had saved her in the first place.

Stepping into the entrance of his sitting room, Shilo was nowhere to be seen. He raised a brow. She still had not gotten over the results of last night's drinking? Making his way through to the bedroom, he opened the door and there was Shilo, perched on the bed with her back to him, though he could see that she had changed and apparently bathed. He was thankful for that. The results of heavy drinking were not exactly attractive to him.

He slid up onto the bed behind her and realised that she was reading, apparently so enrapt in her book that she had not even fully noticed his presence. That changed quite quickly when he slipped his arms around her waist. She gave a sharp jolt, the book tumbling from her hands and landing with a dull _thump _on the carpeted floor. He was rather impressed that she had managed to get herself impeccably clean before he returned – he could smell the soap on her skin and grazed his nose along her cheek. Yes, this would be fun.

xXx

Shilo's heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest. By this point, she was well aware that Pavi enjoyed physical contact – more than she would deem normal, but then, who was she to decide what was normal and what was not? She had grown used to the odd caress to her face here and there and the arm he would often slip around her waist, but to have him suddenly hold her so close against his chest was far out of her comfort zone. She stiffened as the book slid from her grasp and found herself unable to do anything apart from stammer out a pathetic, "P-Pavi..."

"Ciao, bella," he purred and she was aware that she could feel the vibrations of his voice against her ear – surely that was too close for comfort. "Feeling better?"

She nodded a little jerkily, his glossy hair brushing her cheek as she did so. "Thank you for the pills. They helped."

The masked man chuckled, brushing the hair of her wig back from her face with his thumb. "I-a know how to-a handle hangovers. I've-a had a few myself," he informed her and she could hear the smirk in his voice. He was a Largo and, as she saw by the media coverage of him, almost as prone to a wild celebrity lifestyle as his sister. His lips trailed down over her neck and that was enough to cause her to shoot back from him. That was simply too far and, though she wouldn't admit it to him, the caress of those dead lips against her flesh made her shudder. He seemed a little surprised at first that she had wrenched away from him and she sat stiffly, half turned towards him for a moment before his face broke into a grin.

"_Relax, _bella," he purred and in a split second his long fingered hands clamped down over her upper arms pushing her gently yet firmly back against the bed sheets. He emitted a chuckle. "Always so-a tense, hmm?"

"Pavi... what... what are you doing?" She lay limply, still in his grasp, and blinked up at him in both confusion and fear. He had never held onto her like this before and although she had no idea what he thought he was doing, she knew that she certainly didn't like it. There was something unhinged about the look in his eyes, almost like he was deranged.

"The Pavi knows-a _exactly _what he is-a doing," he hummed against her ear, lowering his head so that his nose was buried in her hair, face tucked in close against her neck so that she felt the warm, even breath on her skin. Unintentionally, Shilo felt her hand fly to his shoulder as he leaned over her, clutching desperately at the material of his shirt. He merely gave a light, amused hum in response. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping, praying, that this was all just a bad dream. Of course, the warm pressure of his body against hers proved that it was not.

Then suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Pavi paused in his actions. The knock sounded against, this time a little more frantic.

"You should answer that," Shilo breathed, barely able to find her voice. He stared at her for a moment as though calculating and she held her breath subconsciously. _Please, please, oh please... _Eventually he gave a small "Hm," and removed himself from her, though seemingly reluctantly. She exhaled shakily, before standing a little unsteadily as he swept from the room in an overly dramatic, aggravated sulk and went to answer the door. She heard the door in question wrenched open, as well as a voice that was undoubtedly Pavi's growl an uncharacteristically low, "_What?_"

Quietly, Shilo made her way over to the bedroom door in order to peek around the corner and take in the scene that awaited her. There stood Pavi, still clutching the doorknob in his hand whilst a startled looking GENtern stood a good foot away – quite unusual when it came to Pavi Largo and a potential conquest.

"Miss..." the young woman glanced up at the brother of her employer, cringed, and tried again, still averting her eyes. "Miss Sweet wanted to know what was taking so long. She said she wanted Miss Wallace in her office this instant."

Pavi observed the woman, before chuckling and crossing his arms, taking a step forward and leaning against the doorframe. "You tell-a mia sorella that-a Miss Wallace and I are-a _busy_," he smirked and the GENterns eyes widened a little. "Unless you would-a like to-a join us, cara mia," he added with a raise of his eyebrow. The GENtern stammered, apparently trying desperately hard to string a sentence together, before Shilo took a deep breath and decided to intervene.

"No."

Pavi turned a little to regard her, apparently surprised by her interruption.

"I'll go," Shilo continued warily, "If she wants to see me it must be important." Pavi considered this for a moment, before nodding.

"If you feel you-a must, bella," he resigned with a slight sigh. "Though..." the dreadfully wicked expression came over him again and he grasped the GENtern's wrist. "I do not think that-a you require help to-a get to my sister's office, si?" The GENtern's horrified expression told Shilo all that she needed to know. She had diligently ignored the ever changing faces in order to keep the peace, but now, confronted with the choice of whether or not to save a woman's life, she felt as though she would be sick just thinking about Pavi's little 'hobby.'

"Actually I... I think I might need some help. In case I get lost." He wasn't convinced. "I mean, I'm late already." Still not convinced. This would be difficult. Shilo took another deep breath, steeled herself, and approached him, resting one hand daintily on the crook of one of his folded arms. "I'll be right back," she assured him, though how reliable this promise was, she was not yet certain.

Eventually, he nodded, though she could see that he was not entirely satisfied. "Very well." She let out a breath that she did not realise she had been holding and gave him a nod, slipping through the door as he let the GENtern's wrist slide from his grasp. The pair hurried away before he could change his mind and Shilo heard the door close with a resounding click behind them.

After a moment of brisk walking down the hallway, Shilo paused and turned to the older woman. "You can go, if you want to. I know the way to the office."

The GENtern seemed surprised for a moment, wide, deep blue eyes blinking earnestly. She was silent for a moment, before speaking. "Thank you." She offered Shilo a small smile. "I have family at home to take care of. They need me. My sister is sick and..." her voice trailed off and so Shilo nodded, attempting a small smile in return.

"Just... get home to them safely, ok?"

"Yes... Yes, thank you, Miss Wallace." The GENtern flashed a bright smile and in any other circumstance, Shilo would have thought her not to be genuine. Somehow she knew, however, that the GENtern was grateful as she gave one last nod and hurried away in the opposite direction down the hallway, whilst Shilo continued on her way to the elevator which would bring her to the top floor of the tower. This should be fun, Shilo thought dully, a feeling of dread already sinking into the pit of her stomach.

xXx

Amber Sweet was not happy. That much was evident to Shilo as the elevator doors slid open and she was greeted by the sight of Geneco's CEO drumming meticulously manicured fingernails on her desk. The Sinking Feeling worsened. Suddenly, she was assaulted by a flurry of caramel coloured fur which yapped around her ankles.

"Botox!"

..._Botox? _Amber's shrill cry seemed to have worked, however, because the small Pomeranian sat still at her feet with a small whine, head cocked and staring at her curiously. Shilo barely realised that she had practically plastered herself back against the now shut elevator doors in an attempt to get away from the sudden attack. Peeling herself away from the doors, she linked her hands in front of her, fingers interlocking and then releasing in discomfort.

"Take a seat," Amber ordered, watching her carefully and Shilo hastily made her way over to the sofa in front of the desk, perching on the edge of it with her hands in her lap, doing anything possible to avoid looking the older woman in the eye. The CEO stood, made her way around the desk and perched on the edge, still staring directly at the small girl in her midst. Shilo was suddenly, rather uncomfortably aware that Amber had decided to put her own 'twist' on the stereotypical business suit – her pinstriped skirt barely covered what it needed to, revealing the long, pale expanse of her legs and the small, fitted jacket boasted a plunging neckline and showed ample cleavage. This week, her hair was a coppery red and reached to just past her shoulders whilst her eyes were almond shaped and an unnatural, bright emerald green, lined carefully in a catlike manner.

"_Well?_"

At this, Shilo did manage to look up at the other woman, clueless as to what was expected of her.

"What took you so fucking long?"

"I... I'm sorry, Pavi didn't tell me that you wanted to see me."

After a moment, Amber nodded, seemingly satisfied by the response. "Doesn't surprise me," she scoffed. The dog, Botox, scuttled around Shilo's ankles. She resisted the urge to pull them up to the safety of the sofa's plush cushions. Amber folded her arms across her chest, regarding Shilo coolly. "You made quite the impression at the charity auction, you know."

That took Shilo by surprise. Perhaps it shouldn't have, considering how the paparazzi had erupted at the sight of her, but even so, Shilo was a humble girl. She had lived a secluded life for the past seventeen years and the idea that she could make an impact on _anyone_ was still foreign to her. "I did?"

Amber disregarded her surprise. "They all want your look; your innocence. They want your skin and your eyes and your figure." Again, Shilo was shocked. She knew that the poison her father had coaxed her into taking had staunched her growth in multiple ways – she _knew _that she still looked like a little girl, that her chest was underdeveloped and that she was bird boned and frail. Her skin was pale, yes, but in her eyes it was pallid as a result of being denied access to the sunlight. Why would anyone want to replicate such an image? "What do you say to bringing out your own line?"

"I... I don't know..."

"Oh, you don't have to do all that much, really. You just need to promote it." The woman gave a snide chuckle. "Act as though you actually care. We'll put your name on it and tell everyone you designed it yourself, huh? We'll make you famous."

The way Amber's genetically modified eyes bore into her own made Shilo uncomfortable. Almost as uncomfortable as Pavi's body against hers. She squirmed.

"I... um... I guess so..."

"Great." Amber Sweet grinned. Grinned a smile worthy of the Cheshire cat – perhaps a smile worthy of her second oldest brother. Long fingernails tapped on the edge of the lacquered mahogany desk. _Tap tap tap. _"Now that that's out of the way..." she pushed herself away from the desk, dropping down next to Shilo on the intricately designed sofa. Her hip took the brunt of her weight as she angled towards the young girl, feet crossed at the ankles. Two long fingers wound the silken black hair of Shilo's wig around themselves like a blanket. Just like she would wrap herself up in her bed sheets when she was little, proclaiming loudly to her father that she was a caterpillar. "Let's get out of here."

Shilo blinked slowly. "What?"

"Let's ditch my brothers and go. You've been locked away for seventeen years, right? I thought you wanted your freedom. Yet here you are, practically my brother's little lapdog."

"I'm _not_!"

For a moment, Shilo thought that snapping had been a terrible idea. After all, you don't snap at a Largo if you know what's good for you. But then Amber had smiled. Not her earlier Cheshire grin. Not exactly a smirk, but something close. Just a little twist of the corners of her mouth. "Prove it."

And so Shilo had agreed. Fine. Fine, she would prove it to Amber Sweet. She would prove just what she was made of. '_So you think you've got heart? So you think you've got balls'? Yes, I do, Amber Sweet – proved that at the opera. Proved that when I pointed a gun at your old man's chest._ And then an irritating little voice had fluttered to life at the back of her mind, hissed to her – wouldn't have pulled the trigger, though, would you? _No. Wouldn't have pulled the trigger. Couldn't have done that. Had everyone fooled, though. Probably had you fooled, Amber Sweet. _

And Amber Sweet had grasped her by the wrist, had tugged her into the elevator and stopped at the ground floor, had walked right through that door with Shilo in tow and shoved her into a limousine that was already waiting for them outside. The ride was fast, faster than Shilo had anticipated and in no time at all, it seemed, they had reached one of the the... less pleasant areas of the island (can you call it that? Are any areas really _pleasant?_) and Miss Sweet's hand clasped her skinny wrist again, dragging her along the street which, luckily, seemed to be more or less deserted. Shilo did not like the idea of any Z addicts catcalling or mocking the poor, lost little girl who was so out of place. She knew what they were like, had seen them when Graverobber had brought her to his 'lair.'

So wrapped up in her own thoughts, Shilo had not even noticed the distantly thumping beat until she really focused on it. She realised quickly, however, that Amber seemed to be pulling her towards it and soon she could see flashing lights through a nearby doorway, a low beat being emitted by the establishment that was smooth and somewhat electrically exciting against her eardrums.

"You've never been to one of these clubs before, have you, little girl?" Amber called back to her as she dragged her over the threshold.

"I've never been to _any _club before." She seemed to have lost Amber's attention already. "And I'm not a little girl." That's why she was here after all, wasn't it?

People that Shilo could only assume were Z addicts loitered around the club's entrance, some holding smoking cigarettes and others clutching the rims of half empty bottles. Their hair stood up at interesting angles, dyed artificially bright colours. Their clothes hung on lacy tatters, the men in heavy overcoats or sometimes no coat at all and the woman barely covered. Shilo wasn't sure where she should look. Amber seemed to be quite used to this and continued on her way, dragging her into the musky main area of the club, where pungent smoke hung heavily in the air and slick bodies pressed against each other, writhing to the beat of the music so that the crowd seemed like one great squirming beast rather than a number of dancing individuals. And the music itself made Shilo's little ribcage rattle and her throat seemed to almost constrict, but not in the painful manner that her refraining from taking her father's venomous medicine would induce – it was more from excitement. Her whole body was tense as the music rolled over her and through her in great waves. People were slung over various surfaces along the edges of the dance floor, some injecting themselves with the little, glowing blue vials and others being tended to by dealers. _Oh, oh this is what daddy didn't want me to see. _

"Let's dance." This was Amber. _Dance? _But Shilo had never... never even considered...

"B-But I..." Of course, Amber continued to drag her right into the centre of the writhing mass of bodies. She mustn't have heard her over the music, of course that was it. Shilo could barely hear herself, after all.

"I... I can't..." Shilo began, but she was cut off.

"It's easy." And then long fingered, manicured hands were on her waist, guiding it to make slow, swaying gestures. "Like that." The hands slid down her arms to interlace with her own spindly fingers and then it was all quite easy, really, when Shilo managed to convince herself that people were not staring at her – in fact, everyone seemed too high to even consider what she, of all people, was doing.

Shilo was not sure how much time passed before she noticed that at some point, Amber had seemingly disappeared and her heart gave an uncomfortable, stressed squeeze. _Oh God... _In a panic, she broke free of the mass and began shoving her way through the inhabitants of the club. Amber Sweet was nowhere to be seen. Her breathing was becoming laboured now and she managed to push her way to the edges of the club. Maybe one of the Z addicts would take pity on her.

"Excuse-... Excuse me!" A pale man with drowsy eyes and spiked hair raised one pierced brow at her. "Have you seen Amber Sweet, by any chance? She was right here and now..."

"Sure I have!" a woman to the man's right interrupted her. She thrust a grimy magazine in Shilo's face. "She's right there, baby!" she cackled as Shilo noticed that the Geneco CEO was indeed plastered on the front cover. _Some joke... _

The man chuckled. "What's a girl like you doing here anyway?" he purred and Shilo immediately began to regret her decision to ask for help.

"I... I... um..."

"Why don't you forget about _Amber Sweet _and come with me, huh?"

And then a foreign hand had yanked her back by the shoulder. "Hey, fuck off. Leave the little lady alone." Shilo glanced up, startled, but there was no mistaking the low baritone or the multicoloured hair which hang in tats around the stark white face. The man with the spiky hair raised two hands in surrender, turning back to his company and Shilo found herself being dragged hastily to the door.

"You again!" she managed after she was thrown out through the door and turned to face her... 'rescuer.'

"The one and only, princess," the man responded with a roguish grin and Shilo was not sure whether she should be relieved or running for cover. It would not exactly do her any good to be mistaken for a criminal again. Then again, what did she expect to happen when she was spotted with the notorious Graverobber?


	6. In which shit gets srs

**Very long AN: At last I'm back from holiday! While I was away, I was working on this chapter, hence why it's particularly long. I could have separated it, but I thought it all worked well together, so I really didn't want to. I came back last night and finished typing it up just now, because I was so excited about this one, haha! Things actually kick off. So hopefully the length of this chapter will make up for the long wait. My holiday provided me with a lot of new inspiration and ideas and I've made a start on the next chapter already, so hopefully it won't be too long. Also, there's a completely unrelated little extra at the very end of this chapter if you're interested. :L **

**By the way, I have a Shilo roleplay account on tumblr and the URL is infected-shilo-wallace so feel free to follow or interact with it. Use it how you will. If any of you have tumblr accounts, it would be awesome so see you there. If you're interested in roleplaying with me (not even just as Shilo, as anyone really) then just message me or leave me a review or something. I'll roleplay pretty much anything haha. **

**Speaking of reviews, I got some lovely ones while I was on holiday, so thank you for those. I love reading them, so keep them coming in!  
ObliviousRose – Aww I'm glad you like it so much! I love reading all your reviews! (: And thank you, good luck for yours as well. And to answer your question, Graverobber will definitely be making an appearance in the next chapter. Not too sure yet how frequent his appearances will be, but you'll definitely be seeing more of him.  
VictorianSpirit – Thank you so much! This review made my day. I actually read it out to my best friend when it popped up in my Emails, haha! I'm glad that you like how I portray the characters. Just had to say thank you! :L **

**This chapter was actually legitimately painful to write near the end not even gonna lie. I don't want to spoil it too much. You'll see for yourselves. ;n; (Though I suppose I have to spoil it a little bit in regard to the warnings.) Towards the end, there are a few point of view switches and it's broken up a bit by flashbacks, but hopefully it's not too confusing. I just thought it had a nice effect. **

**Warnings: Blood/gore, swearing, drug use, non-explicit noncon/dubcon sexual content. Basically everything. This is not a happy chapter in the slightest. **

"So, kid, you've come a long way since the last time I saw you. Living it up with the Largos, huh?" Graverobber lifted a brow.

"Not really..." Shilo gave a light sigh of frustration. Her new life may have looked polished to perfection, but she knew that it was not the emancipation she had longed for. She had thought that her father's death could have been, at the very least, a doorway to her freedom, however, it was anything but. Amber was right... she knew that. Knew that but couldn't accept it. She was merely Paviche Largo's lapdog. "I mean... I kind of owe them."

He gave a low whistle, both brows raised now. "In debt to the Largos. Not a good position to be in."

"I know that."

"Anyway, you were looking for Amber, right?"

Shilo perked up a little at that. "You know where she is?"

"Sure do." A jerk of his head to the left. "Right over there."

She hesitated for a moment, before hurrying over to the dumpster he had indicated to. Sure enough, there was Amber Sweet, legs twisted at awkward angles, her skirt hitched up to reveal a flash of black lacy underwear and her hair splayed over her face. "Miss Sweet...? Amber? Amber, you have to wake up!" Shilo groaned and she could have sworn she heard Graverobber chuckle from somewhere behind her. She cautiously reached out one slender hand and gave the business woman's shoulder a light shake. "Come on... damn it." She dropped to her knees, sitting back on her feet and covered her face with both hands. "Oh God, I'm in so much trouble."

"Hey." A booted foot nudged her thigh gently and she peeked through her fingers to scowl at the offending Graverobber. "It'll be ok, kid." She was about to protest, before her wristband piped up.

"_Incoming call from Paviche Largo."_

She felt her breath hitch in her throat and briefly noted that Graverobber had muttered a quiet, "Shit," in response. With fumbling fingers, sheaccepted the call, parting her lips to speak before Pavi beat her to it.

"I-a know where-a you are. I will-a send a car to-a come and-a get you both. No running, Shilo." And with that, the call disconnected.

Shilo let out her breath in a shaky, "_Oh._" Now she was really in trouble. She had promised Pavi that she would be right back to him and now he was aware that she had directly gone against his wishes. He probably even knew that she was currently sitting in a filthy alleyway next to his unconscious sister with no-one but a Graverobber for company. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps and it was all she could do to try and steady her heartbeat. She realised with a groan and the all-too-familiar sinking feeling in her chest that she had left her 'medicine' back at the towers. _Deep, steady breaths. In and out, in and out. _

"Well," Graverobber's low, musing hum brought her briefly out of her panic. "If I were you, I'd start running, kid."

She shook her head. "He'd find me. He's a Largo. They can find anything they want. Besides, I have nowhere to go."

A shrug. "Then get in the car. And _then _run. The towers are pretty damn big from what I've seen. Find somewhere to hide until he calms down," he suggested. "Especially if that stab-happy brother is with him. You don't want to get mixed up in that, sweetheart."

Shilo paused, before nodding hesitantly. "You're right, I guess. Maybe I should just h-"

The sudden roar of a car engine interrupted her and one of the Largo limousines skidded to a halt in front of them, the two gun-wielding hench girls Amber had inherited stepping out with military precision and firmness. Graverobber took one look at the pair and bolted, climbing on top of a nearby brick wall with one last wink at Shilo and a bow, before leaping over to the other side.

The hench girls faced Shilo and she imagined that they were staring at her, though it was hard to tell with the dark glasses they were wearing. She skirted meekly over to the car, sliding in without protest as the women went to retrieve the still unconscious Amber, hauling her into the car, one supporting each arm. Miss Sweet rested between the two on the drive home, her head lolling on the shoulder of one who, somehow, managed to retain bother her straight face and stiff posture.

When the car rolled to a stop (_must have only been ten minutes felt like a lifetime_) Shilo was not hesitant in skirting out as swiftly as possible and heading straight for the front door, heart pounding against her ribcage as she thought of the possibility that Pavi could be already there and awaiting her arrival. As luck would have it, neither of the Largo brothers were anywhere to be seen and so Shilo immediately headed to the elevators, not even acknowledging the receptionist's chirpy, "Hello, Miss Wallace."

_Quick, pick a floor. Floor three, yes, that will do. _

When the lift pinged to its inevitable halt and the doors slid open with a sleek, metallic _swsshhhh, _Shilo almost did not want to see where she was; the floor she had chosen as her hiding ground. She stepped through the doors and inspected her surroundings.

Had she not known that she was in the Geneco tower, Shilo would have automatically assumed that she was in a warehouse of some kind. She had seen enough of them on television, after all. She appeared to be at the entrance of a maze of shelves, each one covered in a light plastic that reminded her somewhat of the sheets surrounding her bed _to keep it sterile, Daddy had said. _The large hall was illuminated by some dim, glowing red light and sets of scales alone with trolleys that seemed to hold operating apparatus stood forebodingly at the ends of some of the aisles. Shilo took one step forward, the heel of her boot clicking loudly, too loudly, on the plastic floor. _Floor like a hospital, that same ghastly stuff that you see on TV. _She walked slowly through the labyrinth of shelves, each step tapping resoundingly on the floor.

She was unsure how long she had been walking, though she was certain that she had buried herself deep within the maze by now and had concluded that she was in some form of stock storage facility, judging by the glistening organs which lined the shelves. Hearts, livers, lungs, _how many of these did Daddy collect? No, don't think about that. _

And that was when the elevator doors slid open, just a quiet sound, but one that was easily picked up by Shilo, who had been in the dead quiet of the warehouse-like room for such a period of time. Her whole body tensing, she took a deep breath and crouched beneath the shelves where she was currently hiding. Not the best of hiding places, but there was not much else she could do. Besides, she had fortunately worked her way quite deeply into the maze of shelving by now. She knew it would take a while for the intruder to find her - time which could give her a vital opportunity to escape or find a better hiding place.

"You're-a sure she's in here, bella?"

A high pitched giggle. "We checked everywhere else, Mr Largo. She must be."

"And she-a definitely returned to-a the tower?"

"Definitely, Mr Largo. Karen said she saw her."

Karen. The receptionist. Someone would not be receiving any more "Good morning"s.

"Grazie, cara. You may-a go now." What sounded like a light pat, a small squeal and then the clip clopping of heels skipping excitably away.

"Shilo? Come out, Shilo. The Pavi does-a not want to-a hurt you. He just-a wants to-a make sure you are-a ok. You've-a had quite the evening, si?"

"You'd better get your fucking ass out here right fucking now." Oh God. He had Luigi with him. Pavi alone, perhaps Shilo could handle. With the eldest Largo involved, a dangerous situation just got a little more dangerous.

A quick "Ssssh."

"DON'T YOU FUCKING SHUSH-"

The shushing came again, more urgent this time. "Come here, bella. You-a trust the Pavi, don't you? He-a helped you, didn't he? He came to you when you were-a all alone." Footsteps making their way down the aisles. "The Pavi would-a never hurt you. You are-a his..." The rustling of the plastic sheets. He was pushing them out of the way, searching. "...his-a tesora."

Muted whispers were passed between the two brothers. Shilo strained to hear what they were saying, before realising that the footsteps were now going in two different directions. They had split up and she wasn't sure which she would rather found her first. One set was approaching her front and she pressed her hand against her mouth to muffle the sounds of her panicked breathing. This was a nightmare, it had to be. She was so focused on the footsteps approaching her, that she did not even notice the pair behind her and screamed when firm arms gripped her around her middle from behind.

She had never screamed nor fought with such vigour before, legs flailing helplessly as she attempted to squirm away from whoever had grabbed her. The question was answered when Pavi appeared in front of her, lips pulled into a grotesque grin. When she realised that his bloodthirsty older brother had hold of her, she struggled even more though the reasonable part of her told her that this was a mistake.

"Stop... fucking struggling, you little shit," the gravelly voice growled against her ear, but she would not stop, could not stop and attempted to kick at him hysterically. Battling with the squirming girl in his arms, Luigi swung her around, unintentionally slamming her against the shelf she had previously been hiding behind. The shelf swayed at the contact and for a moment Shilo thought that this could go horribly wrong and that perhaps it would not be the elder Largo that she had to worry about after all. The shelf's contents slid from their careful positioning, landing around the pair and Shilo found herself screaming louder as she was covered in blood, intestines and other organs. It covered her hair and clothes, sliding against her flesh and squelching repulsively beneath her as she continued to thrash. Luigi managed to get a hold of her and before she knew it she was on her back amongst Geneco's stock, the blood matted in her hair and covering her torso, arms and legs. Her wrists were trapped easily by one of the Largo son's hands and the other drew a knife from his belt, which was pressed threateningly against her pale throat. She stopped struggling, but continued to whimper slightly as the cold blade made contact with the delicate flesh of her neck. _I'm going to die. _

Pavi gave a withering sigh as he stood above the two. "Ah, bella, you made this so much harder on-a yourself than it-a had to-a be. And-a now look – you've-a ruined my brother's shirt." The older Largo snarled.

"I'm going to teach you a fucking lesson."

"Ah, ah, fratello," Pavi sing-songed. "None of-a that. The Pavi will-a take care of-a this."

"Like you fucking..."

"Believe-a me, brother, I know-a _exactly _how to-a deal with-a this little... _misunderstanding._" Luigi looked between his brother and his captive for a moment, evidently torn as Shilo felt her heart pound beneath him. He released her, standing, though for the moment she could do nothing but lie in the mess that had been created.

"Fine. But you had better do a fucking good job, brother. Show that little whore what'll happen in the future if she pulls shit like that again." And with that, he stormed from the room. Left in silence, Pavi merely smirked at the small girl lying amongst the spilled innards, before offering her his hand. Trembling, she accepted (mainly because she was terrified of the consequences if she did not) and he pulled her easily into a standing position.

"Come along, bella. Why don't-a we go somewhere more-a... comfortable?" He pulled her close against him, the stickiness of the spilled blood smearing against his own clothes in the process, though he did not seem overly concerned by it. The coppery smell invaded Shilo's nose and she resisted the urge to retch. Just over a month ago she had been covered in the same vile substance, dripping from the bodies of the only family she had left. Pavi must have noticed the little colour there was drain from her face, as he turned her to face him, cupping her chin delicately, and inspected her for damage. "Luigi was-a little rough, si?" Tilted her head over to the side to see it from every angle. "You are-a not hurt, are you?" She shook her head, not trusting herself to respond without screaming again. With a short sigh, he pulled her close under his arm again, guiding her towards the elevator and, no matter how hard she tried, Shilo could not rid herself of the feeling of dread which washed over her.

xXx

Pavi was silent for a short while when the pair reached his rooms. He released her and she stood, still near the door, trembling. She could not have moved if she wanted to, so terrified that her knees felt as though they would give beneath the weight of her body. Meanwhile, the face stealing Italian paced in front of her as though deep in thought, as though considering her fate. Eventually he spoke, somewhat softly – pensively.

"What happened, bella?"

"I..." her voice trembled, chest heaving with her laboured, panicked breath. She was still smeared with blood. "I went to see Amber just like I said. And then... then she... baited me." He raised an eyebrow. "I mean... she made me angry. She said I was just... just your..." she swallowed, "_lapdog." _Pavi smirked. She continued. "She told me to prove that I wasn't, so I went with her. And then she took me to this club and it was... it was awful." _Not at first it wasn't. It was fun at first. But he doesn't need to know that. _"She went to get her hit of Zydrate and I didn't know where she was and..."

"Hush, cara. Never mind about-a the rest." He paused, eyes locked on her. "Why did-a you lie to me?"

Her heart sank. This was the part she didn't want him to know, that chances were she would not have returned to him right away anyway, that she would have wasted as much time as possible to keep away from him. "I... I was scared," she admitted weakly, eyes filling with tears.

"Scared?" he looked surprised at first, and then thoughtful, and then he smirked and walked towards her slowly, before two pale hands shot out and locked on her shoulders, pinning her back against the door. The handle dug uncomfortably into her waist and she squirmed but he took no notice. "Is this what-a you were-a scared of?" He giggled. "You-a belong to-a the Pavi... you-a know that, don't you?" She wanted to protest, to say that she wasn't anyone's, that she had been genetically emancipated, after all. But his lips crashed onto hers and all those thoughts rushed from her head, replaced by the immediate disgust as she realised that the dead, clammy lips of the mask were covering hers. She attempted to clench her teeth together, but a long fingered hand found its way to her jaw and squeezed, forcing her mouth open to allow his tongue access. Her first kiss (or so she thought) was being ripped away from her and she was powerless to stop it. Her hands flew to his shoulders, pushing feebly against him, but soon he ended the kiss of his own accord, breathing heavily. He pushed a hand back through his hair, one knee between her legs to keep her pinned in place.

"I have-a wanted to-a do that since I-a first saw you at-a the opera, cara mia."

Finally, Shilo found her voice. "_No._" She squirmed against the hold he had on her. "I... I don't want to kiss you."

"Of course-a you do. Everyone loves-a the Pavi."

"That was my... my first kiss and you... you..."

"Ah," he cut off her stammering. "Not-a your first, bella." She was evidently confused and Pavi did not blame her. He grinned. "You really do not-a remember _anything _from-a the auction last night?" He raised a brow, before drawing closer to nuzzle at her neck, his tongue darting out to tease the pale flesh. Her brow creased and she attempted to tug her wrists from his grasp, but to no avail.

"You... You..." She was unsure how to finish her sentence, though her expression was quite clearly repulsed and her tone was somewhat accusing.

"Of-a course. I am-a only human, Shilo. And-a the opportunity was-a there. Surely you can't-a blame me for-a taking advantage." he peered up at her, still with the unsettling grin.

"_Yes_! I didn't know what was happening. You... ugh."

He took no notice of her disgust, instead coming closer to her so that she was pressed against the wall. He gave a soft groan which made her shudder, mumbling against her ear. She could not make out exactly what it was he was saying, but she caught the odd breathy, "_Bella,_" or, _"Tesora" _and realised that his murmurs consisted of Italian, which, of course, she hadn't a hope of understanding. She knew that she could not fight him off if she tried, no matter how much she hated those lips against her flesh and the warmth of his body against hers.

Hands pried at the buttons of her shirt and it was all she could do to merely lie still beneath him and simply allow it, small frame shaking with her trembles and suppressed sobs. He pushed her by the shoulders, lowering her against the floor as he hovered above her eagerly on his hands and knees, a grin lining his stolen lips. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as he continued to explore her body, the places where even she did not allow her eyes to linger and _oh God what is he doing to me let it be over soon._

"No crying, bella. You and I are-a going to-a have a lot of-a fun."

xXx

Sometimes Pavi had nightmare. Shilo would be disturbed in the early hours of the morning by the fitful tossing of the man beside her. The first time it had happened had been only the third night she had been with him.

At first she had not known what had woken her, presented only with the dim knowledge that she had been disturbed and that a dull light was piercing the blinds, the faithful, glowing red numbers on the wall reading 3:30am. Her senses returned to her slowly, an odd thrumming in her ears and her eyes stinging dryly from lack of sleep.

And then she heard the low groan from her right and some part of her sleep-clouded brain had recognised that the Largo brother was dreaming. _Go back to sleep. He'll quieten down soon. _She had just closed her eyes again when an ear-splitting scream had escaped him and, alarmed, she sat up straight and alert in bed, every muscle in her body tense. Staring at him for a moment, she realised that he was perspiring and tossing in his sleep. She hesitated, unsure as to whether or not to wake him, but when she heard the whimpers he exhibited, she made her decision quickly and reached out to touch his bare shoulder, giving it a gentle shake.

His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, staring at her as though he did not know who she was. His hair was dishevelled and the dark strands hung haphazardly over his face. In a mechanical, uneven movement he leaned forward and put his head in his hands, muttering shakily to himself. Furrowing her brow and leaning forward, Shilo realised that the voice which left him was unfamiliar to her, deeper in timbre than his usual falsetto.

"I-I... G-G-G... God... no... n-n..."

It was a strange sight to behold and even stranger to hear him stutter – the man who generally seemed so unshakeable, even when being clutched harshly around the throat by his older brother. His voice sounded odd, a little slurred perhaps, and then she realised the reason behind it; Paviche Largo had a speech impediment. The truth hit her quite suddenly and the unravelled itself further to her – it must be the reason, she thought, that he was the only member of his family with an accent, regardless of Italian bloodlines.

Shilo had never comforted another person. It was her father who comforted _her_ when she was little and took a particularly bad fall (though, admittedly, these happenings were rare. Nathan with his watchful eye ensured that.) For a moment all she could do was sit – dumb and immobile – and stare at the distraught man, who trembled and ran his fingers back through his hair.

She reached out an unsteady hand and rested it against his arm, lightly, though it served to briefly pull him from whatever personal hell he seemed to have found himself in. He froze for an instant, glancing up at her with unfamiliar, vulnerable eyes as though really seeing her for the first time. Her tongue crept out of her mouth to wet her lips and she grasped for the right words to say.

"It's ok." He remained unmoving. "It was just a dream. It's ok."

And then he reached for her. She stiffened for a moment, caught off guard, as his arms locked around her frail body. He buried his face into her shoulder and she felt the dead skin and cold metal clasps against the soft flesh of her shoulder, but allowed it without complaint. His breath was shaky and uneven and she could still feel him tremble against her and so she tried desperately hard to remember how her father had comforted her when she was small, and found herself resting one hand unsurely against the glossy lustre of his black hair, rocking timidly somewhat – perhaps so slightly that if anyone else had seen it, she would have appeared entirely still.

"It's alright. You're fine. It was just a dream; just a really bad dream. You're fine. It's ok. It's ok." Her soft chanting became a desperate mantra, though she didn't even notice.

After a little while, he felt asleep again, head resting in her lap. She had followed suit, leaning against the cool wood of the headboard and had woken the next day with a dreadful, stiff ache in her neck, but had not complained once. Repeat occurrences were known to happen every few days or so but were never mentioned the day after. Shilo did not bring them up and Pavi continued in strutting his way through life, fake accent infallible. But, Shilo supposed, everyone's vulnerability came in a different form, showing itself at a different time. Pavi Largo's vulnerability lurked in the shadows of the night and Shilo accepted the task of easing his troubled mind when it did choose to attack.

xXx

His hands slid against her skinny arms, slid against the drying stickiness of the blood she had been covered in. _Doesn't matter – it's her flesh under all that gore and that's all that matters. The flesh that you've wanted beneath your lips for all this time. It's yours now. _She was small and trembling and just as vulnerable as she had been on that first night after she was bathed in the blood of the monster and the songbird – the traitors.

He tasted blood when his mouth latched onto her shoulder (her sleeve had slipped down in the struggled yes good) but that was fine because beneath it was Shilo and Shilo was soft and feminine and undoubtedly sweet.

He was not hesitant in taking what he wanted – what he had wanted for the past month. She protested, whimpered, but her cries fell on deaf ears. She twisted beneath him in a strange, nightmarish sort of agony and bore some sort of striking resemblance to the tortured sinners who often inhabited religious paintings (of which few physically remained.) But this was not what he wanted. This was not the Plan. He had waited for a reason, after all. She would want him. She would beg for him.

"You-a trust-a the Pavi, don't you?" he hummed in a low croon in her ear, pausing momentarily (though this was not necessarily easy – his voice was low, husky, and uneven, broken here and there with heavy breathing and pants. No, this was not easy at all. He wanted to keep going, wanted her, all of her, wanted to feel her oh God.) "He-a helped you, bella, when-a you had-a no-one else. You-a owe the Pavi this. You-a love the Pavi and you'll-a love this too, cara mia." And with that, he had taken one last glance at her, sprawled like a wounded angel on the floor with blood clotted in her long, obsidian hair, and had slipped one devious, long-fingered hand down between their bodies and that had been enough to make her gasp, to make her arch her make, inadvertently pressing her chest flush against his. He smirked, giving a low purr of pleasure – warm, yes, oh God she was so warm and Paviche had not felt warmth like it in such a long time – and had taken her, all of her, for himself.

And she was more beautiful in this disorientated, confused, torn pleasure than he ever could have hoped.

xXx

"What's the world like?"

"What-a do you mean, bella?"

Shilo had been staying with him for two weeks exactly and one day she had stared up at him with large, pleading eyes and asked to go to the beach. He had been reluctant at first; the remaining coast was a harsh, stone beach and the water was so polluted that it was unsafe to even touch. Not to mention that the strikingly pungent sea air did not agree with his meticulously groomed hair. But her expression had been surprisingly convincing (it was those dark, glossy eyes – the eyes of a cow before you put a rubber bullet to its temple) that he had found himself acquiescing to her desires.

And so here they were, perched precariously on the rocky beach, staring out at the bleak stretch of grey horizon. The girl stretched out her legs, apparently mulling over his response (and he loved those legs too, with their milky thighs and slender calves.) Her sharp, pink tongue appeared to wet her lips (_a thoughtful habit, she does that a lot._)

"I mean..." her right leg gave a little jerk, knocked a rock in front of her so that it rolled away a few inches. "I mean what's it like off this stupid island?"

He had chuckled a little at that. "Much-a the same, tesora." A nonchalant shrug. "I have-a only-a been to-a the large cities, si? It's-a good publicity. Keeps the-a people interested."

Shilo pouted very slightly, just a barely noticeable protruding of her lower lip. She appeared rather dissatisfied with his answer and stood, balancing on the rock she had previously been sitting on. "Someday I want to travel around the world and see all the things that people don't really care about anymore. Do you think I could do that?"

_Not while I'm here. You won't go further than the street outside the towers without me by your side. _He gave another shrug. "I-a see no reason why you-a couldn't, bella."

"Why do you call me that?"

"What?"

"_Bella_," she responded with typical juvenile exasperation in a rather pathetic attempt to mimic his accent.

Pavi smirked. "Force of-a habit. It-a means 'beautiful,' which-a you are," he clarified.

She giggled a little – a soft, benign sound of amusement – and cautiously stretched one foot in front of her, using the uneven rocks as steps.

"Be-a careful."

"I will." And the tiny sigh she emitted with the statement was, for some reason, terribly endearing. She went slowly, as though taking each step into consideration, arms spread out a little for balance.

And then the surface she was balancing on became just a little more uneven and she wobbled dangerously, giving a little gasp.

"Careful!" He was up on his feet in an instant; a reflex action, making his way unsteadily towards her. He reached his target, hand closing around her small upper arm and steadying her. Her wide eyes became marginally smaller as her posture relaxed and she glancing up at him with an expression which could only be described as sheepish. And then she laughed. She laughed and the sound was like the pealing of silver bells. And for some reason, the whole situation was so funny that he laughed too, not as enthusiastically, perhaps, but he did.

Not tonight, he told himself. He could wait just a little longer.

**AN: The strange extra haha. I found this randomly in the middle of my notebook where I had been finishing off this chapter. Feel free not to read. I remember writing it one night when I was very very tired. By the way, I was on holiday with my parents and my best friend Chloe, so I was sharing a room with her. The internet was incredibly patchy and we had no computer, so we had to entertain ourselves somehow.**

_My name is Shannon.  
My phone has no 3G here. ):  
We miss our internet access.  
We miss our laptops.  
I miss my cats.  
Me and Chloe are reading old Emails from first year _**[ie. When we were about 11 or 12] **_and they are very cringy. I wish I could rid the world of evidence of my existence before the age of 14. I began the Email with the word "yo" and each word was a different colour because I was "so random x3." Chloe signed hers as "xoxoChloexoxo" and used several exclamation marks. She wrote the following about her clarinet teacher: "She's is just an evil machine who seems to want to hurt your feelings (sounds a bit like James _**[her older brother] **_as well!)"  
Chloe just said: "'Heya!' Aw crap... ugh... I signed it 'Chlie.' ...Oh no. I can see the capital letters already._

**And that was it. **


	7. In which they're on a boat

**AN: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing good. I'm glad you all seemed to like the last chapter, even if it was a bit... well. Not overly pleasant in places haha. Poor old Shilo. I'm also sorry that this chapter took me a wee while to get out. I've just been kind of lazy recently and I wrote this in a really weird order (I wrote the beginning and then a bit near the end and yeah it was just strange.) So hopefully it will still be fluent. Also, please excuse any typos because some of this was just typed out after I wrote it down in a notebook and typing shit out is really boring. I know there were a couple of mistakes in the last chapter, but about half of it was typed up after I wrote it down first. I have to admit that I'm not the best typist, especially when I'm getting really into something. My fingers get overexcited, I guess. I should also warn you that at one point you will simply see an x in between two paragraphs which refers to a point of view switch in the middle of a flashback. Just to clear that up. Well, enjoy the chapter! This one is not quite as horrible as the last, but I have some plans for the next one that are... yeah. ): We'll just have to see. Let me know what you guys think of this one, anyway! I love all your reviews. And I promise to **_**try**_** and get the next one out a little faster.  
PS: I am glad I was not the only one with a cringy childhood, haha!**

**Warnings: Language and sex references. **

Shilo was cold. When he was through with her, she was left abandoned, lying in the middle of the bed where Pavi had taken her for the next round, and the next, while he went to clean up. She could hear the water running and the distant scent of his over-priced cologne slowly made its way to her.

She didn't know how to feel. Disgusted? Angry? ...Satisfied? The very idea sent a shudder through her. No. For now she merely felt numb, and cold. So cold. She would be lying if she said there had been no enjoyment in it for her; Pavi was skilled and very experienced, there was no denying that. But she hated the way his stolen lips had touched her, the way his tongue probed at her, the way his hands explored her as though he owned her. _She didn't know how to feel. _

And then, quite suddenly, the water stopped running. She listened closely, heard a soft shuffling, and then he stepped out, fully dressed with his hair in order. He paused in the doorway and observed her as an artist who is admiring his work might. With a twisted smirk, he approached the bed and cast long fingers covetously through her hair, brushing them over the curve of her cheek. Those awful, dead lips fluttered with deliberate grace and delicacy over her brow bone as his arm wound around her slender waist to pull her closer and even the smell of his soap and the fabric of his clothes made her want to retch. Her breath shook.

"Get-a cleaned up and-a dressed, cara mia. We-a have an appointment with-a my sister in half an hour."

xXx

It was miraculous, really, that she managed to scrub the blood (_and other substances_) from her skin and get herself dressed without either vomiting or dissolving into hysterics, both of which she was on the verge of. She didn't know what sort of sick little romance Pavi was playing out, but she knew that she didn't want any part in it as he brought her to Geneco's main office, holding her close to his side.

She was still shaken and could barely stand to be beneath his arm without cringing. She wished more than anything to squeeze her eyes shut and pretend that none of it had happened, to pretend that daddy wasn't dead, that he hadn't been lying to her, that Blind Mag was still her idol, that Rotti Largo was still the power of the world looming over them all, that she didn't know the dirty little secrets of Geneco and still watched the Largos parade on her television screen as though they were merely characters from her imagination, as though they did not exist in real life. Of course they were very much real. She stole a miniscule glance at the middle Largo, who seemed rather pleased with himself.

The man must have felt her eyes on him, as he looked down at her, stolen lips pulling into a little smirk.

"I think that-a you and I will-a be getting to-a know each other very well in-a the future, bella," he crooned and she felt her stomach tie in knots again. Perhaps one day she would question him on his motives, on why he was doing what he was to her, on what exactly his plan entailed. But for now she would accept being kept in the dark. She couldn't bring herself to find out any more.

xXx

"Genecruises."

Amber Sweet's manicured hand slammed down on the desk rather vigorously. Trapped beneath it was a poster for the aforementioned idea, which Luigi quickly snatched up to inspect with a scrupulous eye. The young CEO sank back in her high-backed chair, her hair presently black and piled at the back of her head in a bun, a few loose strands escaping to frame her recently narrowed face. Genetically enhanced, purple eyes regarded her older brother as he stood beside her desk, reading over the poster silently. Her other sibling sat perched in his favourite armchair, though today with the new addition of the little Wallace girl sat squirming slightly in his lap.

Miss Sweet was no fool. She could see when her brother had gotten what he wanted, and this was one of those occasions. He was notably more relaxed than he had been the last time they had spoken and one long-fingered hand absently stroked the hip of the girl that he had pulled into his lap whilst the other held his usual hand mirror, tilting it this way and that to see his new face from every angle. She had almost snapped out a rather snide remark about the office having more than enough seats for his little lapdog, but the girl looked as though she were about to pass out as it was and Amber was feeling particularly merciful today. She wouldn't bring the little runt into the conversation unless it was necessary. Instead, she merely looked on in distaste as her perverted older brother inclined his head just a little to nip at the girl's ear and neck, brushing kisses along her flesh whilst she bit down on her lower lip, apparently to avoid voicing her obvious discomfort. As his mouth latched on a little more firmly in what was sure to result in a rather prominent bruise, the girl gave a sharp jolt and an almost inaudible whimper, the sudden movement causing Paviche to emit a soft growl, his hand tightening on her hip. With a roll of her eyes, Amber finally saw fit to intervene.

"Get a room, Pavi, neither of us want to see you drooling all over your latest little catch."

His eyes flickered up to look at her and he gave a soft chuckle against the back of the girl's neck. Amber felt a disgust she could not quite place well up inside of her and she wasn't sure the cause of it. Generally, the sight of her brother being tended to by a woman would not have such an effect on her. Perhaps it was the girl's obvious distaste for his actions. Or perhaps it was because she looked so very _young, _even taking into consideration the fact that her eighteenth birthday had fallen the day after the fateful opera (something that Amber had discovered when looking through her father's paperwork – suddenly Geneco's previous CEO's thinking made all too much sense to her.) When she was younger, she often found herself having to push her brother's probing fingers away from her face, even as an adult she would find herself drawing back from him in disgust. She knew the sort of man her brother was, the sort of man he had always been, even before his 'accident.'

"Forgive-a me, sister. I-a simply cannot-a control myself," he grinned, the hand on the girl's waist sliding up and down slowly.

"You can wait five minutes," she bit back with a sneer.

"Genecruises, huh?" Luigi mused, disregarding the current topic. "The fuck is this?"

At this, Amber righted herself, leaning over her desk on her forearms to address her little 'audience.' "A new business proposition. Cruises to Italy and back. Of course, surgery will be offered on board. Think of it like a holiday package."

The eldest Largo paused for a moment, considering. "I like it."

"Good, because I'm already working on restoring some of the ships I want to use," the CEO smirked.

"Thanks for fucking letting us know, slut."

"I don't _have _to let you know all my plans for the business, you know. _I'm _in charge."

"Yeah, and everyone's just waiting for you to run the fucking place to the ground so that I can take over."

"Not gonna happen."

"Well, we'll just see about tha-"

"Ah, brother, sister," their sibling sing-songed from his perch in the armchair. He received twin glares. "Please. Mia bella and I would-a like to-a retire to our rooms quickly. Let's-a make this quick, si?"

Amber continued to glare, but spoke nonetheless. "As I was _saying,_" she sneered, long, claw-like fingernails tapping on the desk in agitation, "I'm already working on restoring the ships. The first is already finished and we'll be on the first cruise to promote it. We're leaving the day after tomorrow, so get fucking packing, alright?"

xXx

As per usual, any public appearance involving Shilo meant that she was to act the part of Geneco's pretty little baby doll. Her outfit was chosen by Amber – a little black 60's-inspired dress complete with a small white jacket which boasted an elegant black trim. The morning they were due to leave, she tied the long, black hair of her wig up into a simple ponytail and set small, black studs into her ears (a present that Pavi had given her when she woke up that morning. She wondered if he could sense her hostility, if he knew that she was upset. Even so, he did not hold back on touching her freely, so perhaps not.)

They arrived at the port without much hassle (Shilo had been sure to stay as far away from Luigi as possible in the limousine and Pavi had been all too happy that this meant she was pressed to his side) and presently stood on the ramp of the ship whilst the press gathered at the bottom, snapping pictures and throwing questions at them, many of them directed at Shilo, but she was cut off by Amber who _still _insisted that she would not yet take any questions. Shilo absently wondered when she_ would_ be expected to attend interviews and the like. Perhaps Amber was holding back until this supposed new surgery range... Shilo shuddered to think about it. Perhaps _her_ line would cause more unnecessary repossessions. She distracted herself by the way the murky water lapped at the sides of the boat, how Pavi would tug her smugly just a little closer to himself when questions were tossed at him about her (_were they an item? Were his GENterns jealous? What about the age gap? Shilo, Shilo, is it true? Are you and Pavi an item? Kiss her for us! Give him a kiss! Look this way, look that way, over here!_)

Eventually, Amber lifted her hand for silence and the happy little 'family' made their way onto the ship whilst the crowd of other passengers screamed and made a fuss to see their favourite celebrities again (Shilo heard that people had been mugged for their tickets, even third class. Everyone wanted to be on the premier journey.) They were greeted by the captain, a clean-cut, clean-shaven man with greying hair and lines on his face, handed the keys to their suites and guided up the stairs by GENterns. As expected, the ship's interior was lavishly decorated and their suite was even more so (Shilo's heart had sunk just a little when it was revealed that she would share a room with Pavi.)

When the fuss was over and everyone had cleared out, Pavi turned to her with a jester's grin and gently tugged the tie from her hair, allowing it to come loose. One hand ran covetously down the side of her face, catching her chin and tugging it upwards.

"Why don't-a we... make ourselves at home, bella?"

xXx

Three days later, Shilo made her way down to the lower decks, feeling rather shaky. It had been good luck on her part that Pavi had been taking so long in the bathroom – it had been enough time to clean herself up with a discarded towel, dress, and leave the room to clear her head. Unfortunately, the ship was bombarded with falsely smiling scalpel sluts, who were eager to acquaint themselves with Geneco's newest celebrity. It was a foolish idea to approach the ship's main deck, as it was a cesspit of fake and shrill voices. Not now, not when she was feeling like this. And so she decided that a trip down to the lower classes would most likely be a better idea, although the lower ship could grow a little stuffy at times, or so she had been told. Perhaps it was foolish on her part, considering her newly found fame, to venture down below where the necromerchants and their customers lay in wait. However, her... _romps _with the middle Largo son often left her wishing for a time that one of them would choose to strike, to end her slavery. She chided herself mentally for thinking so negatively – those in third class were not necessarily bad people. At least they had paid for their tickets and it was general knowledge that anything supplied by Geneco would not be cheap. Perhaps if she had been a healthy girl and part of a normal family she herself would have taken up lodgings in second class... Of course, she was not part of a normal family and such a thing as a holiday was unheard of at the Wallace residence.

The ship gave a light rock beneath her as she climbed down the stairs. Her head had already been swimming and the gentle sway had done nothing to help her balance. She stumbled a little, falling slightly against the wall, thankful that she appeared to be steady enough to keep herself from tumbling down the stairs altogether. As she descended into the lower area of the ship, she hesitated by the corridor which she knew would lead her down to third class. Perhaps not today. Instead, she kept going, climbing into the bottom of the ship where she could feel the jolting hum of the engines beneath her feet. Although the ship itself seemed to have come from a hundred years ago or so, the Largos took great pride in the development of the large electric engines which kept the ship powered. Perhaps if she had been in a slightly more optimistic mood she could have taken the time to appreciate them.

She had now reached the storage area at the base of the ship, where large trunks and crates were piled high and sleek cars were parked awaiting arrival at their next destination. The area was large, a little dingy considering the fact that the only illumination came from the lamps which were dotted here and there. However, it was thankfully peaceful and, for the present time, held a little comfort to Shilo in its vast emptiness. Making her way down the stairs into the large facility and further into the maze of possessions, she came to a halt somewhere she thought might be the middle, considering the distance she was from the large balcony that she had previously been standing on, looking out over the area – she could see it when she glanced up. She perched on top of a beneficially located crate, her back pressed up against the door of a smooth, black car. Drawing her knees up tightly to her chest, Shilo sat in silence. And then the tears came. Thick and fast, the saltiness of the tears made their spidery trails down her face with each sob she choked out. Clutching her knees to her chest, small shoulders shaking, she took advantage of the luxury of weeping – something that had not been allowed to her in longer than she could bear. If she cried after her nights with Pavi, he would grow angry and a crazed, maddened look would seep into his piercing eyes as he loomed over her, questioning her – she loved him, didn't she? He was good to her, wasn't he? Of course she did. Of course he was. Everyone loved him and any woman would jump at the chance to be in her position, he would remind her as one cold, slender hand would lock onto her jaw, forcing her to look at him. And her sobs would quieten in fear until she learned that it was better not to cry at all. To pretend that yes, she enjoyed this sick relationship. Yes, she was happy when he swept her off to bed. Yes, she loved him. He would never proclaim his love to her, of course. That simply wasn't Pavi Largo's style. Pavi Largo did not _commit. _She doubted that he still had the ability to love anyway – he didn't know what love was.

Soon the tears dried, leaving the uncomfortable stickiness of salt on her cheeks and her sobs weakened to light hiccups and sniffles. She closed her eyes, forehead pressed to her knees and took deep breaths in an attempt to steady herself. He would be looking for her, she knew that. But she wasn't ready yet, couldn't go back to him like this, couldn't stand his prying fingers wiping at the reddened spots beneath her eyes as he cooed mockingly to her, asked her what the matter was, if he should help... take her mind off things. Oh God, no, she couldn't go back yet. She tossed a couple of pills to the back of her throat, before reassuming the positioning of her head on her knees, allowing her eyes slide closed and enjoying the rare peace and quiet. Of course, that had been until...

"Uh... Kid?"

She had known who it was instantly, but even so she lifted her head and allowed her eyes to take in the stark white face, the tattered fur coat, the brightly coloured hair. "You again," she stated rather flatly.

Graverobber held out both arms, as though graciously accepting applause, and hopped with ease over a trunk in his way, moving over to sit beside her on the trunk, one arm extending behind her to rest languidly against the door of the car. He studied her closely as though on a trip to the museum whilst she kept her gaze locked forward. Giving a slight squint, he spoke at last in the usual, deep baritone. "You been crying, princess?"

She glanced up at him for a second, before giving a light sigh and wiping hastily at her eyes with her sleeve. "Uh-huh."

"What happened?"

"It's... It's not really that important." Now she made an effort _not_ to look at him, instead fixing her gaze on the floor, angled away from him a little.

"Life with the Largos not all it cracked up to be, huh? Can't say I expected it to be all fine and dandy. Not really. Everyone knows they're a bunch of crazy fucks, Kid."

"You could get killed for saying that, you know."

"You won't tell."

"No. I won't." Of course she wouldn't. She was far too lonely to risk endangering the life of her only... acquaintance. "Why do you keep following me around?"

A smirk lined black-painted lips and a flash of wolfish teeth were barely visible. "Who says I'm following you, sweetheart?"

And that embarrassed her for some reason and she felt a faint warmth beneath her cheeks. "I don't know. I guess I just... I just assumed."

"You know what they say about 'assume,' darling – makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me.'" He chuckled a little, tucking one finger beneath her chin for a brief second teasingly. "No need to be bashful, now."

Shilo stood up stiffly, almost mechanically, and stepped back a pace or two. "Don't play games."

"I'm not playing. I'm just curious, is all."

"Curious about what?" Her arms crept around her own torso, holding it firmly for comfort.

"Curious as to why Geneco's little _princess _is sitting down here all alone crying her eyes out." He raised a brow. "Shouldn't you be up a few levels, sipping champagne and eating artificially produced caviar?" he murmured. She narrowed her eyes in response, frustration welling inside her.

"Sometimes I just want to be left alone," she countered a little testily. Yes, she had been quite comfortable all alone in the quiet before the notorious Graverobber had decided to make an appearance. "Anyway, why are _you _here?"

"What're you saying? A graverobber can't enjoy a holiday like the rest of the world?" He glanced up at her in mocking offense. And then he sniggered. "Thought I'd see what this cruise business is about." He shrugged. "Besides, I had a _suspicion _that you'd be here. Can't miss an opportunity to see my favourite girl, can I?" He flashed her a roguish grin and that made her heart stutter for just a second even though she had just taken her medication, but she rolled her eyes nonetheless.

"Sure. I'm guessing you didn't pay to get here."

"Why pay when you can get a free fist class ride down here?" Once again, he spread his arms to gesture the space around him.

"They'll kill you if they find out that you stowed away on here."

"But you won't tell," he repeated. She shook her head. _No, I won't. _"Besides, I doubt Amber Sweet wants her favourite source wiped out."

At that, Shilo gave a curious little tilt of her head, hesitantly taking her seat on the crate beside him again. "She has all the zydrate in the world now. Why does she still need to see you?"

"Ah, ah, ah," the Graverobber chided gently, tapping the tip of her nose with a fingertip, to which she scrunched up her nose and pulled back a little. "The zydrate that your new family" _don't call them that _"deal in and _my _produce are very different. You can't beat street-grade shit, Kid."

"Well... what's the difference?"

"_My _zydrate is pure. Hasn't been filtered, watered down, nothing. Just the good old glow," he purred. "Why? You wanna try some, princess?" He leaned in closer to her and that was enough to set the alarm bells ringing in her mind – she had seen that look in Pavi Largo's eyes too many times. She propped one hand against his shoulder and gave him a weak shove backwards – too weak to really make him move, but he must have decided to humour her, as he scooted away anyway.

"_No. _I don't want to end up like those... _addicts. _It's... It's gross."

He grinned. "Ain't nothing gross about it, angel. It pays pretty damn good. Sometimes not good enough, though," he concluded in a grumble. Shilo gave a little smile at that and for just a moment it seemed that some great weight had been lifted from her chest. Right now she was safe and Pavi would never look for her down here and she had a little company to keep her mind off things.

She gave a little chuckle. "I can see that. When was the last time you had a shower, anyway?"

The graverobber shot her a little glare. "Ha ha, very funny. Just a couple of days ago, as a matter of fact."

"Ew."

"You do what you can to get by."

"I would offer you a shower in our bathroom, but I kind of want to keep my face," she joked, though there wasn't much humour behind it. It was true that she would be in deep trouble if Pavi found a strange man in their shared accommodation. Perhaps not as much trouble as Graverobber would be in, but even so she did not feel like risking it.

"_Our_?" he repeated with a raised brow. "He doesn't even let you have your own room? Geez."

Shilo quite suddenly took a deep interest in her knees and the movements of her fingers as they fidgeted in her lap. She gave a short shake of her head. "No. I've shared his room since I started living with them."

"Christ, Kid, that freak really has you on a tight leash."

Perhaps on any other day under any condition, she would have shoved the man beside her, batted at his arm, told him not to call her supposed benefactor a freak. He was just a confused, lonely man – that was all. But not today. Today she mulled over the word that had been tossed casually into the conversation and realised that it fit Paviche Largo perfectly. Yes, he was a freak. He skinned women and wore their faces as though they were animals. He treated Shilo as though she was his doll. She expected everything from her and gave nothing in return. Even his voice was false. Truly, he was not a person at all. He merely took the form of one, if that.

"I guess so."

"Oh, Miss Wallace!" At that horribly shrill voice, Shilo could have sworn that her heart dropped right out of her chest and into her stomach. _No, no, no, no. _She glanced up and sure enough, there was one of Pavi's favourite GENterns on the balcony, staring in surprise at them (she could see baby blue eyes widening beneath the generic red facemask and _oh, just go away, would you?_) She glanced over at Graverobber, expecting to see him go diving for cover before he was seen, but instead he merely gazed up at the young woman with a smirk curling his lips. "G-Graves..."

"Hey, Ashlynn."

The woman's cherry red lips trembled a little as she grasped for the right words to say. "You shouldn't be here, Graves," she settled on, a little weakly.

"So what, baby?" he called back. "Haven't seen you around for a while. It's been awful lonely, you know?"

"I'm... I'm trying to cut back." Shilo could see the muscles in her throat working as she swallowed nervously.

Graverobber clucked his tongue. "You and I both know you'll never manage it. How about you meet me down here later? I'll even give you a discount – call it a welcome back present." A hint of desperation seeped into the GENterns eyes and she glanced over at Shilo. She could see the woman's hands shake as they rested on the banister.

"Miss Wallace, Mr Largo is looking for you. You'll be late for dinner."

Shilo nibbled lightly on her lower lip for a moment, gathering up any shreds of courage she had left, before turning to the notorious necromerchant by her side. "I had better go."

"Sure, princess," the man responded with a grin. "Don't be a stranger, though. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on-"

"I'll be sure to avoid storage."

He chuckled, evidently not wounded, and lounged back on his throne of objects. "I'm here all week." She gave a roll of her eyes, before making her way over to the stairs and climbing up to join the GENtern.

"Oh, and Ashlynn?" The young woman turned back for a moment to regard the drug dealer. "Don't forget about me, now." A roguish wink. The GENtern didn't respond, but Shilo could see that she was evidently shaken – she had a feeling that Graverobber would be receiving a little company later that night when the woman's employers were preoccupied at dinner.

There was a tense silence as they made their way back up to first class, separated only by the GENtern's heels tapping on the floors. That was until she saw fit to break it. "Please don't tell Mr Largo about this."

Shilo almost halted, but she forced herself to keep walking and glanced up at the woman by her side. This could just work to her advantage. "I won't, if you don't tell him that I was down there. If he asks you, I was up on deck the whole time. He doesn't like going up there – he says it messes up his hair." For a moment, the GENtern looked like she wanted to say something in response, but she remained silent. Shilo wondered whether perhaps she was jealous. _Well, you can have him. I don't want anything to do with that... that freak. _

xXx

The scene was almost nauseatingly domestic if one considered what Shilo's ultimate fate was to be.

Two and a half weeks after Pavi had plucked her from her previous cage, Shilo sat contentedly beside him on the sofa, cross-legged with a large book resting atop her lap. He sprawled languidly next to her, one arm resting along the bend of the arm of the sofa whilst the other stretched out just behind her head, sea blue eyes focused in mild interest on the glare of the television screen. They sat in silence, each keeping to themselves. At one point, Pavi saw fit to make himself more comfortable and brought one leg up to rest the ankle on the corresponding knee. Usually, Shilo would not have given a second thought to the seemingly innocent action, until she realised that it meant that his crooked knee rested gently against hers. This constant contact made her a little uncomfortable, however, she decided not to move her own leg lest he become offended (_better not upset him he's been ever so good to me I judged him too soon when I saw his interviews on the television he's been _nice) and sent him a small glance.

When her large brown eyes did come to rest upon the face which was not his own, she noticed that his own eyes were narrowed and he squinted just a little in order to read the writing on the screen. She focused her gaze back to her book, but parted her lips to speak.

"Do you need eye surgery?"

He turned his head a little to look at her, raising one eyebrow in surprise. "Hm? What-a makes you say that, bella?"

Still, she did not look up from her book, too enrapt in studying the wingspan of the dragonfly on her page. "You were squinting at the TV just now. I saw it."

The masked man gave a light snort. "I am-a not that old yet."

"Eye surgery doesn't mean you're old. It just means your eyes don't work so well anymore."

She could not see him smirking, but she heard it in the heavily accented falsetto of his voice. "Same thing, no?"

"No. That man off the TV had his eyes fixed not so long ago. He was talking about it."

"Enlighten me, cara mia."

"That man who reads the news. He interviewed you last week."

"The-a old one, you-a mean?"

"No, no, the other one. He's probably about your age." With this, she did look up from her book in exasperation, only to see him eyeing her in interest. "You know. The one with the hair. It looks a bit like candyfloss."

"Ah." Recognition dawned on his features at last and he gave a small smile. "Si, I know now. Still." He turned his attention back to the television screen with a deep sigh. "I would-a rather not undergo surgery."

"Why not?" She was inquisitive now, perched beside him on her knees, eyes blinking owlishly up at him.

He chuckled softly, drumming his fingertips on the arm of the sofa. "We all have our-a secrets, tesora."

She drew back a little at his flat refusal, shoulders sinking just slightly in disappointment. "I'd just rather you were able to see where you were going."

x

As Shilo turned back to her book, the masked Italian stole one last glance at her, all frail limbs and long, dark hair and large eyes and in that moment he made up his mind.

The next day, Pavi Largo received the first minor surgery he had undergone in around five years to cure his near sightedness. With clammy palms and shaking breaths he had returned to the operating theatre, his fingernails digging into his hands as he was administered zydrate for the first time since he had lost everything he was; since he had lost all grip of himself.

Considering the short distance of all destinations in the towers, he was able to return to his rooms after only an hour or two recovering in one of the private rooms reserved for Geneco customers and walked through the door assisted by a GENtern with his eyes bandaged, though he had insisted that his 'mask' be replaced before returning to his rooms – Shilo was not quite ready for the little surprise of what his true face looked like. He wished he could see Shilo's reaction when he returned, but it was enough to feel her small, soft hand clasp his as he dismissed the GENtern and her hushed voice insisting that he rest, that she would take of everything and it had been a perfect opportunity to allow his hand to brush the side of her face as though ensuring she was truly there. He was hastily directed to a nearby armchair, a glass of water pressed into his hand and Shilo had acted the perfect little nursemaid (he wondered if this was perhaps her way of "repaying" his supposedly gallant action of sparing her life) and had asked him more than once if there was anything she could do to help him.

That night the bandages came off and Pavi Largo was as good as new, no longer having to strain his eyes to see the television screen, or anything else for that matter. Perhaps the surgery had been worth it after all if he could allow his eyes to take in Shilo's pretty face, her large eyes and sweet, little smile in more clarity. That night, he bedded three GENterns, stealing the face of one who particularly caught his eye. His mind was fixed on the smoothness of Shilo's hand against his own, the curve of her cheek beneath his fingertips. He had retreated to his bedroom when he was through with the little puppets under his family's employment, still smelling of sex with his hair rumpled. For a little while he had stared at the gentle slope of her neck and shoulders beneath her nightdress, how she breathed evenly, and had simply inhaled her scent. At times, he was unsure whether it was her in herself he lusted after, or her doll-like face. But then his mind directed him back to the memories of the way her eyes shone when she laughed, the smooth legs beneath dresses and skirts that were shorter than she would prefer, her timid voice hushing him in the dead of the night when no-one else gave a damn. He reached the conclusion each time that it was her he wanted, that he would have her no matter what the price. Because Pavi Largo always got what he wanted. After all, no-one said 'no' to the Pavi.


End file.
